Shinobi's lament
by youngmark
Summary: After the end of the Old World and the beginning of the Elemental Countries, the Lord of Darkness has returned as the Chosen One. How will the Shinobi Realm fare against the Return of Count Dracula?
1. Chapter 1

**Holy hell, it feels good to be back after months of laziness. But, I'm sorry to say, this story is not yet ready. I brought you this chapter to ask if any of you know of a somewhat precise chronology for the Shippuden movies? I already did the pre-shippuden ones, so might as well, right?**

**Shinobi's lament**

Within the walls of Konohagakure no Sato, a great battle was taking place between the Shinobi Forces of the village and the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the mightiest of the nine Bijuu. Originally, the fox was sealed within a woman, Kushina Uzumaki, who was the secret wife of the current Hokage, leader of the village, Minato Namikaze. The seal that holds a Bijuu is at its weakest when the vessel, if female, is pregnant.

Unfortunately, despite being hidden away, they were discovered by a masked man with the Sharingan, one of the most well-known Bloodline Limit, an hereditary skill, in Konohagakure. The man took the couple's newborn baby, Naruto, as hostage to approach Kushina. When the man threw Naruto in the air, Minato took it as a cue to save him. Unfortunately, Naruto's blanket was full of explosive tags, forcing the Hokage to teleport away to safely discard the blanket and taking Naruto somewhere safe. Even those few seconds were enough for the man to release the Kyuubi, take control of it with his Sharingan and unleash it upon the village.

Sneaking into the village unnoticed and taking control of the Kyuubi, Minato heard of only one man who had accomplished both of these things: Madara Uchiha, the most powerful Uchiha in history and co-founder of Konohagakure.

After safely taking his wife to their son, Minato fought the man he thought was Madara Uchiha and managed to break the contract between him and Kyuubi with a seal, forcing the man to retreat.

Now that he could focus on the Kyuubi, Minato summoned Gamabunta, chief of the Toad Summoning clan, and faced the mighty fox. During the battle, one of Kyuubi's attacks went for the building Minato left his wife and son for safety, forcing him to teleport to them and save them.

This is where our story starts...

**In the fields outside of Konoha and near the Kyuubi**

Minato, thanks to his Hirashin Jutsu, appeared in the field with his wife and son, exhausted.

Minato was a sun-kissed blond-haired man with two frontal bangs framing his face. He wore his white coat, with flame patterns, over his Jonin Flak jacket.

"Are you okay?" He asked his beautiful dark red-haired wife.

"Minato..." Kushina said, worried.

Minato chuckled. "Despite my exhaustion, I managed to get this far for both of you." He gently places his wife on the grass. "But I don't have much chakra left..."

As he said this, Kushina looked over her husband's shoulder and sees the fox looking around, searching for them. Due to his size, towering over the many trees around the village, he easily found them.

"I'll stop him... one way or another..." Minato promised. "There are things... I must protect... Precious... things..." He stood and faced the fox. "I will never give up... so long as I have that..."

"Wait..." Kushina called out. "I can still... do it..." She focused as chains made of her chakra shot out of her lower back, dug through the ground and restrained the fox from the ground below his feet.

**"These accursed chains again!?"** Kyuubi growled. **"KUSHINA!"** He roared in rage before the chains forced him to the ground.

Kushina started coughing, making Minato run towards her.

"I'll take... Kyuubi with me... to my death... to buy some time... before his next attack... It's all I can do... with what little chakra... I have left..." She panted.

Minato was doing his best not to cry. "Kushina... because of you... I became the Fourth Hokage... I became the man I am today... thanks to you." He hugged her. "And made me this child's father...! And yet, I'm useless..."

"Don't look so sad... I'm happy... to have been loved by you... to have become a mother... even in this moment... we should be happy... our family of three is together..." She smiled while lightly rubbing her baby's forehead with her thumb. "However... I wish I could see him grow up."

Her words echoed in Minato's mind. He knew a way to make her wish come true.

"Don't die..." He said. "Preserve your chakra for your reunion with Naruto."

"What?" She said, confused.

"I'll seal what's left of your chakra inside him as part of the Hakke no Fuin. And I'll take the Kyuubi with me... with the Shiki Fuin!"

"But you will die if you use it!" Kushina exclaimed.

"I'll only take half of Kyuubi with me... And leave the rest for Naruto inside the Hakke no Fuin..." He said.

Kushina's eyes widened in horror.

"I know what you're going to say... But I realized something today... Naruto is the savior Jiraiya-Sensei thought I would become... By being the World's savior as a Jinchuuriki, the other Countries will no longer see Jinchuuriki as weapons of war."

"But what about before then!?" Kushina said.

Minato stood up, faced the fox once more and summoned the Shinigami. "Let's believe in him!"

Shinigami's left hand pierced through Minato's soul before extending and grabbing onto the Kyuubi.

"Seal!" Minato yelled.

Shinigami yanked half of Kyuubi's chakra and left it inside Minato.

Due to losing half of his chakra, Kyuubi shrunk in size. Compared to before, where, even restrained, he was still towering over the trees, he was now, still restrained, barely the height of said trees.

Minato turned to Kushina and summoned an altar for the Eight Trigrams Sealing. He gently took Naruto from Kushina's arms and placed him on the crib.

Looking at the family of three, Shinigami disappeared with a smirk on his face. All of that went completely unnoticed by the parents.

**"An altar!? YOU ARE NOT SEALING ME AGAIN!" **Kyuubi roared as he kept struggling.

Kushina started coughing again, which loosened the chains' grip on Kyuubi. The fox did not hesitate for second; it was his only chance for freedom. He raised his right hand to pierce Naruto with a claw.

However, both parents blocked the claw with their bodies, preventing it from reaching their child.

The Shinigami reappeared just in time for the Jutsu, his disappearance unnoticed by the parents, who were focused entirely on their child. He smirked when he saw the Hokage sealed his wife's chakra and his own into the seal. When both parents said their final words to their child, the Hokage proceeded with the sealing. Shinigami took what was left of Kyuubi and sealed it inside Naruto. With the fox gone, both parents let out their final breathe and passed away.

With nobody around to observe him, Shinigami turned into his old skeleton and cloak form, pulled out a glowing jet black orb and placed it on Naruto's chest. The orb disappeared within Naruto, who stirred awake. He opened his cerulean eyes and looked at Shinigami. The baby's eyes flashed red for a moment before returning to cerulean. His eyes widened, as if recognising the deity.

**"Welcome back to the world of the living... My Lord Dracula."** Shinigami greeted. **"The highly ranked people of this village know of your new body's birth, therefore, you will have to play along as a human before making your return. Fortunately, I was not only able to place your soul in this body, but the Power of Dominance as well. How... nostalgic."** His lord's eyes showed amusement, also remembering his time as Soma Cruz.

**"I only ask that you play along for a time. When the time is right, I will personally bring you back to your Castle and we shall prepare your return."** With his lord's nod of acknowledgement, Death disappeared.

**Chapter 1: Graduation**

**12 years later**

Naruto was sitting at the swing in front of the academy after failing the Graduation Exam. He simply had too much chakra to make bunshin, which, amusingly enough, was useless in a real battle. It baffled him how such a useless jutsu was a requirement for graduation.

Naruto was short for his age, but that was mostly because ramen was the only food he could afford. He also wore a ridiculous orange jumpsuit. Again, that was all the civilians were willing to sell him.

The parents that were congratulating their children were also talking behind Naruto's back amongst adults.

_"Fools, the whole lot of them."_ Naruto thought. They thought he was the Kyuubi reincarnated. What they didn't know was that he was something far more terrifying. Additionally, he wasn't even the Kyuubi vessel. The Power of Dominance had turned Kyuubi into a soul for him to use. Of course, nobody, except him, knew that, not even old man Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. The old man was forced to take his position after the Yondaime's death.

Speaking of his father, his parents' chakra also turned into souls. It was odd. Outside of Dimitrii Blinov's trickery, he never had 'dominance' over a human soul. Was it because they were sealed within him? Possibly. It was definitely worth investigating.

"Hey, Naruto!" He heard a voice call out to him. He looked to his right to see Mizuki, one of his sensei. Although Naruto knew Mizuki pretended to like him, if the glares he gave him when he thought he wasn't looking were any indication.

Mizuki had shoulder-length white hair with a hint of blue as well as green eyes. He was wearing the standard Chunin Flak jacket.

"Iruka-sensei isn't failing you just to be a jerk, you know." The chunin teacher said.

"I know that." Naruto sighed. "Both of you have heard my complaints about the bunshin multiple times. There's just nothing you two can do about it. If it weren't for that, I definitely would have graduated."

Mizuki smiled. "You're right. That's why I'll tell you about a secret exam."

Naruto looked at his sensei with a raised eyebrow. _"What are you planning?"_

**Hours later, evening**

Naruto was sitting in front of a shack in the middle of the forest with a large scroll in his hands. Mizuki told him to steal a scroll called the Scroll of Sealing and learn from it. The catch was that he couldn't tell anyone or else, he'd fail. Naruto scoffed. Could Mizuki have been any more obvious? But he played along. Afterall, there was the possibility of finding something that would more than make up for his inaptitude with the bunshin.

"Let's see... First Jutsu on the list is... Kage Bunshin." He smirked. The Clone Jutsu that gives unused chakra and memories back to the original once cancelled. Through his parents' souls, he already knew the Jutsu, but thanks to stealing the scroll, he could now use it without people asking questions.

He read the rest of the scroll and only found fuinjutsu instructions. Lacking a brush, ink and blank scroll, he couldn't practice them. Sighing, he rolled the scroll and waited. A couple of hours later, his second sensei, Iruka Umino, landed in front of him.

Iruka had brown hair that he kept in a ponytail, dark eyes and a scar that runs across the bridge of his nose. Like Mizuki, he wore the Chunin Flak jacket.

"Hey, Naruto." Iruka said, his tone disapproving. **(Should've said this earlier, this Naruto isn't a prankster and listens in class. There's no way Dracula would be hyperactive and disorganized.)**

"You found me already, Iruka-sensei. I bet everyone's looking all over for me." Naruto said.

"Why did you do this?" Iruka asked.

"Because even if it was a trick from Mizuki, I couldn't let this opportunity slip away." He answered.

Immediately, the sound of incoming kunai grew closer, making Iruka push Naruto away and being the sole target of the many projectiles.

"I'm surprised you found this place, Iruka." Mizuki's voice echoed through the woods.

"So that's how it is..." Iruka said.

Mizuki was on top of a branch with two giant shuriken strapped to his back.

"Naruto, hand me the scroll." He demanded.

"Don't let him get the scroll, Naruto!" Iruka called out.

"Why would he trust you over me, Iruka? At least I tell him valuable secrets." Mizuki had a smirk on his face. "Speaking of secrets..."

Iruka's eyes widened. "MIZUKI, NO!"

"12 years ago, a rule was created after an incident. A rule we can't let you find out, Naruto. A rule saying that we can't tell you that you are the Kyuubi no Kitsune!"

Iruka was looking at Naruto with horror and Mizuki was smirking, the latter waiting for a reaction from the whiskered blond.

"Mizuki, I know I have birthmarks on my cheek that look like a fox's whiskers, that I was born on the same day the fox attacked _and_ that I have _way_ too much chakra for a kid my age, but I'm pretty sure that if I literally was a fox that was as enormous as the Hokage Mountain, I would know." Naruto said.

Mizuki frowned at the lack of panic and twirled one of the shuriken. "There is no use denying what you are! DIE FOX BRAT!" He yelled, throwing the shuriken.

Naruto easily sidestepped the shuriken. "That's not going to work at this distance."

"You're right." Mizuki jumped down from the tree and ran towards Naruto with the second shuriken. "I'LL JUST RAM IT THROUGH YOUR HEART MYSELF!"

Naruto smirked and moved his two pointer and middle fingers to form a cross. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Smoke filled the area in an instant. When it disappeared, Mizuki dropped his shuriken in shock and fear when he saw that he was surrounded by hundreds of Naruto.

_"Kage Bunshin... Solid clones..."_ Iruka thought in awe. _"He said he had a lot of chakra but... enough to create hundreds of solid clones? This is insane!"_

A clone behind Mizuki ran up to him and kicked him in the back of the knee, bringing him down to said knee. At that moment, all of the other clones charged.

The real Naruto walked up to Iruka. "Need a hand?"

Iruka smiled. "Before you help me, could you close your eyes for a minute?"

Naruto shrugged and did so.

After a moment, Iruka told him he could open his eyes. When he did he saw that Iruka no longer had his headband.

"Congratulation on your graduation, you deserve it."

Naruto smiled. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei."

Both of them started walking towards the village, with a few clones dragging the beaten Mizuki.

Iruka never saw the smirk on Naruto's face.

A few days later, Naruto had to have his picture taken for his Shinobi Registration Form before showing it to the Hokage, who deemed it satisfactory. Immediately afterwards, the Sandaime's grandson, Konohamaru, tried to attack the old man to gain the title of Godaime Hokage... and tripped on his own scarf before he could even attack.

Naruto facepalmed.

A man in a completely blue uniform, wearing sunglasses, entered the room and approached Konohamaru.

"Are you all right, Honorable Grandson?" he asked Konohamaru. He then saw Naruto in the room. _"The Fox Brat!"_

Konohamaru turned his eyes to Naruto.

"You tripped me, didn't you!?" He said, pointing at the blond.

"You tripped on your own, brat." Naruto responded, flicking Konohamaru on the nose.

"How dare you!?" The sunglasses-wearing man called out. "This is the Sandaime Hokage's Grandson!"

Naruto looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "And I should worship him just because of his family? He hasn't done anything to deserve that." Naruto turned towards the Sandaime, who waved him off, saying they were done with the registration.

Once Naruto left the room, the teacher told Konohamaru not to get near Naruto, because he is nothing but trouble. Konohamaru would listen, right? Of course he would, Ebisu is never wrong.

...Except that Konohamaru slipped away in the middle of the lecture, when Ebisu wasn't looking.

**Street of Konoha**

Konohamaru was tailing Naruto... and doing a bad job at it. When Naruto stopped and turned around, Konohamaru tried hiding between a wooden fence and a camouflage cloth of a wooden fence... though there was one problem.

"You're holding it sideways." Naruto called out.

Konohamaru looked at the cloth before sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "Oops."

"So what do you want?" Naruto asked.

"I want you to train me!" Konohamaru said.

Naruto blinked. "Train you? I just graduated from the academy. There isn't anything I can teach you that you won't learn there." Naruto lied. He _could_ teach the Kage Bunshin, but he doubted the kid had the chakra for it. Not that he would teach anyone anything in the first place, anyway.

Konohamaru's shoulders slumped. "But Ebisu-sensei said there was a shortcut to becoming Hokage..."

"Then he's an idiot." Konohamaru looked at Naruto in surprise. "The Shodaime didn't take the easy way, the Nidaime didn't either and neither did the Yondaime. I'm certain the Old Man Sandaime didn't take any shortcut, so why would his grandson do such a thing? If you want to surpass your Gramps, you'll have to work twice as hard as he did."

Konohamaru stood straight. "You're right! I have to find Ebisu-sensei and get even more training! Later, boss!" He said, running off.

Naruto sighed and went on his way.

Another couple of days later and it was time to return to the academy for the team placement.

Naruto was calmly walking towards the academy. On the way, he saw a familiar bump on a wooden fence.

"Still sideways, Konohamaru!" He called out.

"Aww." Konohamaru whined. "Maybe I should look at the front after pulling it out."

"You'll get it down eventually." Naruto said. "Anyway, sorry to disappoint, but I have to get to the academy to be placed on a team."

"Oh, that's right! You graduated!" Konohamaru realized. "You'll have to tell me what being a shinobi is like, one day!"

"No problem. See ya later." Naruto said, walking away.

**Classroom of graduates**

Naruto had taken a seat and was waiting for Iruka and the few students that hadn't already arrived.

"Why are you here, Naruto?" A boy with a pineapple hairstyle asked him. "The team placement is for graduates."

"Are you so lazy that you can't look over my eyes, Shikamaru?" Naruto asked, pointing to headband on his forehead with his thumb. "I did graduate."

A few seats away from the two, a dark blue-haired with pupil-less lavender eyes was looking at Naruto with a blush, happy that he had graduated.

Rapid footsteps were heard outside of the classroom. Two girls, one pink-haired and one blonde-haired (lighter shade than his sun-kissed blond), entered the classroom. Both of them thought they had won a race.

_"Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka."_ Naruto thought, looking at the pinkette and the blonde, respectively.

"Naruto! Get up from that chair! I wanna sit next to Sasuke!" Sakura demanded.

Naruto blinked before looking at the seat next to him and saw a boy with black hair that was spiky at the back and frontal bangs framing his face.

"Oh... Hey, Sasuke. Didn't see you there." Naruto said nonchalantly.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, making most girls in the class sigh in adoration.

"Well!? Are you gonna get up?" Sakura urged.

"There is a free seat between Sasuke and I, you know." Naruto stated.

Sakura blinked and blushed in embarrassment when she saw that there was, indeed, a free seat.

Before the girls of the class could argue for the free seat, Iruka arrived in the class. Everyone had taken a seat and Iruka had said who was in team 1 through 6.

"Team 7 will be Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha."

Sakura yelled in joy as she found that she was in her crush's team.

The lavender-eyed girl was saddened that she wasn't in the same team as Naruto.

"Next, Team 8. Hinata Hyuuga." Iruka called out.

The lavender-eyed girl snapped out of her thoughts. "Y-Yes!"

"Kiba Inuzuka." A feral-faced, brown-haired boy with a dog in his jacket smirked.

"Shino Aburame." A brown-haired boy wearing a grey coat hiding the lower half of his face pushed his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose.

Sakura gave Ino, who was seated behind her, a smug look. Team 9 was announced as this happened.

"Next, Team 10. Ino Yamanaka. Shikamaru Nara."

Ino's eyes widened in shock while Shikamaru sighed.

"And... Chouji Akimichi!" A chubby brown-haired boy wearing his headband like a bandana was eating potato chips since he entered the classroom.

At this point, Ino had slumped on her desk.

"You will all meet your new sensei this afternoon. Until then, you're free to go.

When the student had to return in the afternoon, Naruto and his teammates had the misfortune of having a sensei that was 3 HOURS LATE!

A jonin with gravity-defying hair entered the class. He had a facemask covering the lower half of his face and the left side of his headband was tilted downward to cover his left eye.

"My first impression of you guys is... you're lame." Sasuke and Sakura deadpanned at the man's statement.

"And my first impression of you, sensei, is that you're a pathetic ninja for not making it in time." Naruto shot back.

"NARUTO!" Sakura yelled in indignation, despite silently agreeing with him.

The man chuckled. "If you say so. Why don't we all go have a chat on the roof?"

**Academy rooftop**

"Well then, how about we start by introducing ourselves?" The man asked.

"How about you go first, since we don't even know your name?" Naruto reminded.

"That sounds reasonable. Alright then, my name is Kakashi Hatake. My likes and dislikes are not any of your business. I have a few hobbies. And that's about it."

_"All we got was his name."_ Sakura sweatdropped.

"Well then, how about you, blondie?" Kakashi urged.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. And I say trust goes both ways, so that's all you'll hear from me." Why should he reveal anything? None of them will matter to him in the future.

Although it was unnoticeable, Kakashi's lips twitched upwards at how his sensei's son was constantly jabbing at his habits "Alright then, next." His lone eye turned to Sakura.

"I'm Sakura Haruno! My likes are... uuhhh..." Her eyes turned to Sasuke for a moment. "My hobby... M-My dream..." She was simply too focused on Sasuke to say anything...

"Dislikes?" Kakashi asked.

"INO!" She called out immediately.

_"Girls her age are more interested in love than in training. Hope I can fix that."_ Kakashi sighed. "Last one." He urged.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things and like very few things. I do not have a dream, but I have an ambition: To restore my clan and kill a certain man."

_"As expected after what happened to him." _Kakashi thought. "Alright, you three all have unique personalities. I like that. We will begin a mission, starting tomorrow. A test, if you will, of what each of you can do through Survival training."

"Why are we going to train if it's a mission?" Sakura asked. "We've had plenty of training at the academy."

"This isn't the same." Kakashi said. "Every team has Survival Training upon their formation. And only three teams per graduation successfully complete the training and become Genin, while the rest go back to the academy for an extra year."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, Sakura's widened in horror and Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"W-Wait! What were the graduation exams for, then!?" Sakura asked.

"That just serves the purpose of picking who has the potential to become Genin." Kakashi answered. "Come to Training Grounds 7 at 5 A.M., with your shinobi equipment. And be sure to not eat breakfast, you'll just puke it out."

Naruto wasn't fooled. Kakashi _purposely_ arrived 3 hours late this day and he would definitely do it again. Waking up before dawn, not eat breakfast and possibly wait 3 hours for their sensei? Not a chance.

**Training Grounds 7 - 7:55 A.M.**

Naruto arrived at the Training Grounds and saw both of his teammates, waiting. Sakura looked ready to fall asleep and Sasuke looked completely fine, if a little annoyed.

"Don't tell me you guys actually listened to him?" He asked, getting his teammates' attention.

"WHERE WERE YOU!?" Sakura demanded.

"I simply guessed he would late again and it looks like I was right." Naruto sighed as he remembered something. "If you had to wait this long, please tell me you at least ate breakfast."

Both of his teammates' stomachs growled at the word 'breakfast', making him facepalm.

A few minutes later, Kakashi arrived. "Good morning, everyone."

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura yelled.

"Well, a black cat crossed my path, so-" Kakashi stopped when he saw that no one was believing it. "Well, let's move on."

Kakashi walked towards one of the three logs in the training ground and placed an alarm clock on it. Definitely arrives late on purpose.

"Alarm set at noon." He said before pulling out two tiny bells. "Today's goal is to take one of the bells from me. Whoever can't do it will not have lunch."

"What?" Sakura shrieked.

Kakashi pointed the logs. "I will tie you up to one of these and eat it in front of you."

Both Sasuke and Sakura's stomachs growled once more, making Naruto sigh again.

"Wait! Why are there two bells? There are three of us." Sakura asked.

Kakashi's lone eye closed and formed a 'U' shape, like he was smiling. "Since there's only two, at least one will be tied to the log. That one will fail because he failed to complete the mission and will go back to the academy. Will only one of you fail...or all three of you? Definitely all three, if you don't come at me with the intent to kill."

"But that's dangerous, Sensei!" Sakura claimed. "You could get hurt!"

Kakashi 'eye-smiled'. "Don't worry about me. Ready? Start!" All three students jumped away to hide.

_"The basic for a ninja is to conceal his presence and hide."_ Kakashi thought as he looked around.

Sasuke and Naruto were hiding in the trees while Sakura was in the bushes.

"Not bad for beginners." Kakashi said. "Now then, which lesson shall I go for first...? Ladies first as they say."

**With Sakura**

_"Where is Sasuke-kun? Did Kakashi-sensei already get him?"_ Sakura wondered. _"No! That can't happen! Not to Sasuke-kun!"_

She stopped when she saw Kakashi in a clearing in front of her. _"Good, he didn't spot me."_

"Sakura, behind you." She heard behind her. She turned her head and saw Kakashi.

Her scream of terror was heard throughout the training ground.

After her scream, Kakashi disappeared.

"Huh... Where did sensei go?" She wondered, looking around.

"Sakura..." She heard someone call out behind her. It was Sasuke's voice!

She turned around. "Sasuke-ku-" Her eyes widened in horror at what she saw. Sasuke was extremely wounded. He also had a few kunai and shuriken on his bloody wounds.

"S-Sakura..." Sasuke panted. "Help...me."

Sakura, once again, screamed in terror before falling unconscious.

"Maybe I overdid it." Kakashi said from atop a tree. "But she should have checked if it was real or a Genjutsu."

Further away, Sasuke heard the scream. "Was that Sakura?"

"It was." Kakashi said from behind him. "I'm disappointed she fell for the Genjutsu so easily."  
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Genjutsu; an illusion. It's no wonder she fell so easily. But I'm different from her."

"Why don't you say that after you get a bell?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke turned around to face his opponent.

Both of them stood in silence for a couple of seconds before Sasuke threw a couple of shuriken, which Kakashi easily dodged.

"Normal attacks won't help you like that." The Jonin said.

Sasuke smirked as he threw a kunai through a tripwire.

"A trap?" Kakashi jumped away from the kunai that were thrown from the trap.

When Sasuke appeared behind him, Kakashi turned around to block a kick. He grabbed the ankle before blocking a punch. Sasuke twisted his body to send a second kick from above. Kakashi responded by placing his right arm, still holding the ankle, over his head to block.

Sasuke smirked as his position allowed access to the bells, which Kakashi quickly realized and jumped away as Sasuke reached out.

"You're indeed different, I'll admit." Kakashi said.

Sasuke merely grunted before doing a pattern of handsigns that Kakashi was very familiar with. "It can't be! A Genin shouldn't even have enough chakra to-"

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" Sasuke called out before breathing out a large fireball straight at Kakashi.

When Sasuke stopped the Jutsu and the smoke from the fire cleared, Kakashi was nowhere to be found.

Sasuke started looking around. "Is he behind me? No, above?"

"Try below." He heard under his feet before a hand grabbed his ankle.

"Doton: Shinjuuzanshu no Jutsu!" Kakashi called out before burying Sasuke from the neck down.

Sakura heard Sasuke scream and ran towards the direction and found a clearing... with Sasuke's head on the ground.

"Sakura." Sasuke called out.

Sakura screamed in terror at seeing a 'disembodied' head and passed out.

Sasuke deadpanned. "What's wrong with her?"

After Sasuke successfully dug himself, he checked up on Sakura, who was regaining consciousness.

Upon seeing Sasuke was fine, she hugged with all her strength.

**With Kakashi**

The Jonin was in the middle of a clearing, reading his favorite book, Icha Icha Paradise.

"Well? Aren't you going to try anything?" He asked.

"What's the point?" Naruto said from the top of a tree. "I don't have a unique fighting style like Sasuke, my massive chakra reserves make my chakra control too abysmal for Genjutsu and I got no Ninjutsu to defeat you."

"What about that Kinjutsu you use to defeat Mizuki?"

Naruto snorted. "Althought your '5 A.M., no breakfast' trick was just as obvious as Mizuki's own attempt, you're nowhere near as pitiful or stupid as him. All I can do now is _survive. _And I think I did pretty well for myself." As if on cue, the alarm clock rang, indicating noon.

Naruto and Sasuke were seated next to the log that Sakura was tied to. The latter two's stomachs were growling without end.

"You guys are hungry, eh?" Kakashi asked. "Well, I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that none of you need to return to the academy."

Sakura cheered, despite being tied to a log, and Sasuke smirked. Naruto waited for the bad news.

"The bad news is... the three of you should stop being ninja in the first place!"

Sasuke frowned, Sakura was horrified and Naruto remained stoic.

Sasuke charged at Kakashi, who effortlessly restrained him.

"Do you think being a ninja is easy? You didn't even figure the point of this test."

"Teamwork." Naruto said immediately, catching Kakashi's attention. He had seen enough Belmont-Belnades team-ups to know that.

The Jonin frowned. "If you knew the answer, why didn't you do anything?"

"Have you actually paid attention to these two? One's a brooder who ignores everything around him and the other is a fangirl who believes her knight in shining armor will always be there for her and that everything is fine, so long as he's around. I'm willing to do my part, but these two are in their own little world.

"And you are not?" Kakashi asked.

"I had to live by myself... I couldn't afford being a kid." He lied. In this body, he never was a child.

Kakashi narrowed his eye for a moment. "All right. I'll give you one more chance. But this will much harsher after lunch. Eat lunch if you're up for the challenge. But! Sakura doesn't get anything. Feed her and you will all fail." With his part said, Kakashi left.

Sasuke immediately grabbed one of the two bentos and started eating. Naruto opened the second bento and turned to face Sakura.

She glared at him. "What? You're gonna eat it straight in front of me?"

Naruto scoffed. "Of course not, idiot, I'm going to feed you."

Sakura's eyes widened. "But Sensei said-"

"Did you even hear what I said earlier?" He interrupted. "I'm willing to do my part for the team, even if I had the worst teammates possible. I hate the fact that my two teammates don't care about me, but I've known for a _long_ time that life is unfair."

Sakura, in her shock, couldn't do anything but accept Naruto's offer. But the moment Sakura swallowed a bit of food, a cloud of smoke appeared out of nowhere.

"You!" Kakashi called out to Naruto. "I said not to feed her! What do you have to say!?"

"The same I told you earlier. I'm willing to do my part for the team. If you have a problem with that, you only need to come forward." Naruto said.

Sasuke stood next to Naruto, a kunai in hand.

"You stand by him?" Kakashi asked.

"Of course." Sasuke said as he braced himself. "We're teammates."

"That's right! We're a team!" Sakura claimed.

Kakashi stayed silent for a moment before he eye-smiled and the sky cleared. "You all pass!" He said jovially.

Naruto immediately grabbed a kunai and cut the ropes restraining Sakura.

"We passed? But why?" She asked while stretching her arms.

"Because unlike the other blockheads that I tested, you remained a team instead of just listening to everything I said. A ninja must look underneath the underneath. In the ninja world, those who break the rules are called trash. But those who abandon their comrades are lower than trash."

Naruto whistled, Sakura was awed and Sasuke smirked.

Kakashi gave his new team a thumbs-up. "Team 7 will start doing missions starting tomorrow!"

Sasuke remained smirking, Sakura cheered and Naruto was leaning against a log.

"Let's go home." Kakashi said as he started leaving.

Sasuke grabbed his bento and left with Sakura following suit.

Naruto looked up to the sky. _"This world is filled with threats greater than the Belmonts. I'll have to learn as much as I can if I want to stand at the top."_ He thought before he, too, returned 'home'.

**Hope you've enjoyed what I did so far. Like I said up top, chronology for the Shippuden movies would be highly appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2: Wave of strength

**I'm finally back! SO sorry about the tardiness, I was lazy...very lazy. But I made a decision: I'm not finished yet, but I'll update this story in the usual four-day delay until all the completed chapters are up and let the reviews motivate me to continue, which is what I should have done in the first place. Hopefully this won't happen again.**

**Now, to reply to some reviews.**

**Gashadokuro Amanojaku: I hadn't thought of doing that. But even then, Dracula can only use three souls, Kyuubi, Minato and Kushina. And while that's a lot of Ninjutsu knowledge, I wouldn't be able to come with a scenario like your suggestion. I do appreciate the opinion, however.**

**ultima-owner: Thanks for the pointers on the movies. I have added a few of them in the fanfic, but decided to not add them all. It's mostly the latter Shippuden movies that I decided to ignore.**

**nynrahghost: The wording was a mistake on my part. When I wrote that he was reminded of Soma, I meant that Naruto, just like Soma, was 'just a human' with Dracula's soul and the Power of Dominance. My bad. Also, to both you and Wolfone10, Dracula _will _recover all of his powers at once and be able to return to the castle. I say this because I feel that this isn't spoiler-territory. After all, this isn't reincarnation like in Aria of Sorrow, this is Dracula's soul entering a new body and taking control of it. Or should I say, _dominating it._**

**Anyways, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 2: Wave of strength**

"Naruto here. Got to point A." He couldn't believe they were doing this...

"This is Sasuke. I'm at point B." Sasuke said from the communicator.

"This is Sakura. I arrived at point C."

"Okay, Team 7... The target has moved!" Kakashi said as a small figure moved through the trees before stopping within some bushes.

The three Genin were moving from tree to tree to hide their presence.

"How far is the target?" Kakashi asked.

"Five meters." Naruto answered. "I'm ready to go."

"Same here." Sasuke confirmed.

"Here as well." Sakura added.

Kakashi waited for a few seconds. _"Now!"_

All three jumped at the target, who jumped over Sakura.

Before it could escape, Naruto caught it and kept it at arms' length.

"Target captured!" Naruto called out.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Kakashi asked.

"There's a red ribbon on her right ear. This is indeed Tora." Naruto sighed as Tora tried to claw his face off. They were chasing a damn cat!

"All right then, Team, let's bring back to the client."

**Academy Mission Briefing Room**

The client Kakashi was Madam Shijimi, wife of Fire Country's Daimyo. She was giving her pet cat a bone-crushing hug.

"Ohh, My little Tora-chan!" She said, completely oblivious to her cat's pain.

"No wonder she ran away..." Sakura muttered as the woman left the room.

"Well then, Team 7's new mission will be...babysitting Yojyu-sama's boy." The Hokage said, reading a list.

Kakashi could see the annoyance in his students' eyes and decide to intervene.

"Actually, Hokage-sama, I believe my team is ready for their first C-rank." He said.

His students and Iruka, who was seated next to the Hokage, looked at him in surprise.

The Sandaime met Kakashi's gaze before he sighed. "If you're sure, then so be it. Team 7 will be escorting someone back to his country. He should be coming in right about now."

Someone entered the room. "What the hell? They're all kids! The short one doesn't even look like a ninja."

The bespectacled man had grey hair, wore a sleeveless v-neck shirt with an obi, some pants and sandals. He also had a towel around his neck and wore a pointed hat. Not to mention the man was drunk.

Naruto ignored the comment as the man took a swig of his drink before introducing himself. "I am the master bridge builder, Tazuna. Once we are in Wave Country, you will have to protect me with your life until the bridge is completed."

A few hours later, everyone had packed and met up at the village gate, ready to depart.

"Tazuna-san?" Sakura called out, getting the man's attention. "You're from Nami no Kuni, right?"

"What of it?" He asked.

"Are there ninja in that Country?" She asked.

"Not any residential ninja, no." Kakashi answered for Tazuna. "That country follows different customs. Nami no Kuni is also an island, which makes it difficult to be influenced by neighbouring countries. While there are many ninja villages, five of them stand out the most: Konoha, here in Hi no Kuni, Kumo in Kaminari no Kuni, Suna in Kaze no Kuni, Kiri in Mizu no Kuni and Iwa in Tsuchi no Kuni. Like in Konoha, the other four villages have a leader under the title of Kage: our own Hokage, Kiri's Mizukage, Suna's Kazekage, Iwa's Tsuchikage and Kumo's Raikage."

"_Is that old geezer really that great?"_ Sakura thought.

Sasuke didn't look all that convinced whereas Naruto nodded, already used to the system that was very much like the Old World's Feudal Japan.

Kakashi eye-smiled. "Well, at least one of you believes in Hokage-sama's authority. You two should follow Naruto's example. Also, getting back to the earlier topic for a moment, we won't run into any ninja for the mission, if that's what you're worried about, Sakura."

Beneath his hat, Tazuna looked nervous.

As the group continued on their way, Naruto noticed a puddle ahead. Odd, he didn't remember any recent rain.

The moment they all walked passed the puddle, two cloaked figures rose from it. The first one threw the second over the group and both caught Kakashi in the chain within their gauntlets before ripping him in pieces.

"First one!" They cried out.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura called out in horror.

Both Shinobi appeared behind Naruto. "Second one." They said.

Before they could wrap him in chains, Naruto spun around and did a sweep kick, which both men jump over. At that moment, Sasuke threw a shuriken at the chain and embedded it to a tree, locking it in place. He then threw a kunai at the shuriken's ring and also embedded it to the tree, further locking the chain.

Both tried pulling on the chain. "It won't come out." One said.

They detached the chain from their gauntlets and went for separate targets. One focused on Naruto and the other went for Tazuna.

Naruto performed another sweep kick. His opponent saw it coming and jumped over. What he didn't see coming was Naruto planting both hands on the ground, push himself in the air and kick him in the abdomen with both feet.

A figure jumped out of the trees and grabbed Naruto's opponent then caught the other one by the neck, knocking him unconscious. It was Kakashi!

"Yo." He said nonchalantly.

"Kakashi-sensei's alive!" Sakura said in joy.

Sasuke was disappointed. When Sakura stepped in between Tazuna and the attacker, he stood between them to fight, but Kakashi ruined that chance.

"I'm quite satisfied with what I saw." Kakashi said. "Naruto: You and Sasuke worked well in splitting the enemy. Then you outsmarted your opponent by faking predictability. Sakura also jumped in to protect Tazuna-san. Good job to all of you."

Sakura smiled, Sasuke smirked and Naruto dusted his hands off.

"By the way, Tazuna-san..." Kakashi trailed off.

"W-What is it?" Tazuna asked nervously.

Kakashi tied the attackers to a tree. "These two are Chunin from Kiri, known for fighting despite the odds."

Moments after Kakashi tied them up, they regained consciousness. "How did you find us out?" One asked.

"It hasn't rained in days." Naruto said.

"So you noticed it? Nice to know you observe your surroundings, Naruto." Kakashi praised.

Sasuke's hands balled into fists, since he hadn't realized that fact.

"Why did you let you students fight if you knew that?" Tazuna asked.

"To know who their intended target was." Kakashi answered. "One of my students, myself or you, Tazuna-san. We were only supposed to protect you from bandits, not enemy ninja. Because of this, the mission is now B-rank."

Tazuna sighed in exasperation. "My country is poor. We couldn't afford anything above C-rank. We wouldn't even need ninja support if Gato wasn't bleeding us dry."

Kakashi blinked in surprise. "Gato, the Shipping Tycoon?"

"That's the one." Tazuna confirmed. "He's taking everything he wants from my people. Please, keep protecting me from Gato! Once the bridge is complete, we will be free from him!"

"This mission is out of our league." Sakura said.

"Doesn't matter." Naruto said. "I won't have the patience to do any more D-ranks if I don't do something worthwhile. I say we keep going." Sasuke agreed with Naruto, making Sakura reluctantly agree. The team then continued toward Nami no Kuni

**Meanwhile, in a hideout amongst the trees**

"What do you mean they failed!?" A short, portly man demanded. "I don't pay you to fail, I pay you to do your job!"

"Stop complaining." A tall man sitting on the couch said, pointing his zanbato at the shorty. "I'll take care of the problem with Kubikiribocho."

"S-So you say. But they'll be more careful, now."

"Doesn't matter. I, Zabuza Momochi, will slice them to pieces."

**Back with Team 7**

The group was on a boat that would take them to the island of Nami no Kuni.

"The mist is so thick." Sakura observed. "I can't see what's ahead."

"We should be reaching the bridge soon." The boat owner said. "If we move along the bridge, we'll be in Wave Country."

As if on cue, the bridge became visible through the mist. It was massive.

"Impressive." Naruto said.

After docking, the group were walking through a forest.

They heard noises in the bushes and immediately went on guard. Only to see a white rabbit jump out.

Kakashi's eye narrowed as he looked around. _Something's wrong. Its fur is only white during winter. Right now, it should be brown. Meaning it was raised indoors."_

Then he heard something headed their way and his eye widened. "Everyone, duck!"

The group did so and narrowly avoided a thrown zanbato. Said weapon then found itself embedded to a tree.

A tall figure landed on the hilt. He had pale skin and short, spiky black hair and was wearing bandages over the lower half of his face, similarly to Kakashi's facemask. He also wore his Kiri headband sideways. He was shirtless, with the exception of belts to strap the massive blade. He had baggy pants with striped patterns. He also had mimetic wrist-warmers extending to his elbows and matching leg-warmers.

"Zabuza Momochi, Demon of the Hidden Mist." Kakashi said. "Against someone like you... I will have to give it my all." He uncovered his left eye, which had a vertical scar directly on it.

"Kakashi of the Sharingan." Zabuza said, shocking Sasuke. "You sure you won't just hand over the geezer?"

"Not a chance." Kakashi said, opening his left eye and revealing the world-wide known Kekkei Genkai, or Bloodline Limit, Sharingan. It was a red eye with three black tomoe.

"Then there is nothing more that needs to be said." Zabuza remarked.

He retrieved his blade and jumped on the water, not sinking an inch.

"Ninpo: Kirigakure no Jutsu!" As he said this, a thick mist surrounded everyone, completely hiding him. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura gathered around Tazuna to protect him.

"Everyone, stay on your guard." Kakashi ordered. "Zabuza was once a member of Kiri's Anbu. He is very skilled in the art of Silent Killing."

"Eight points." Zabuza's voice echoed though the mist. "The larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, collarbone, kidney and heart. Which vital organ do you want to get struck at?"

Kakashi flared his chakra and killing intent, dissipating some of the mist.

Sasuke was afraid. He was finally realizing what a ninja out for blood really was. His hands clenched his kunai.

"Sasuke." Kakashi called out, snapping the Genin out of his thoughts. "Don't worry. I'll protect the three of you with my life. I won't let one of my comrades die."

"I don't know about that." Zabuza interrupted the moment. He was in the middle of the group.

Not missing a beat, Naruto attempted to stab Zabuza, who blocked the attack with his weapon. It didn't matter to the blond. It was more than enough.

Kakashi had immediately stabbed Zabuza in the gut with his own kunai. However, instead of blood dripping from the wound, it was water. Mizu Bunshin!

"Sensei! Behind you!" Naruto warned as he tried to attack once more.

"Not this time, brat!" Zabuza said as he tried to cleave Naruto in half, instead of simply blocking.

Kakashi pushed Naruto away and was cleaved instead, only to turn into water.

"A Mizu Bunshin? When did he...?" Zabuza wondered. "He copied it? Even in this mist?"

"Exactly." Kakashi said as he held a kunai to Zabuza's throat. "And now you've lost."

Zabuza chuckled, to Kakashi's confusion.

"Lost? You don't understand. You won't defeat me by copying me like a monkey. I won't, however, deny your skill. But..." Another Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi, to his shock. "Defeating me isn't this easy." The restrained Zabuza turned into water as the real one attacked with a swing of his blade, which Kakashi ducked. As Zabuza's blade embedded itself on the ground, he used the momentum to spin around and fiercely kicked Kakashi in the face, sending him flying into the water.

Kakashi rose out of the water with the Water-Walking technique. "This water feels heavy..."

"Idiot." Zabuza said from behind him as he made handsigns. "Suiton: Suiro no Jutsu."

Zabuza brought his hand forward and trapped Kakashi in a spherical prison made out of water.

"Now that you can't move, I can take my time and get rid of your team and the geezer. Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu." Some water rose and turned into a clone of Zabuza.

Mizu Zabuza chuckled. "The three of you wear headbands and think you are ninja. But a ninja is someone who has seen life and death situations multiple times. So long as you're not in my Bingo Book, you are not ninja, merely kids." He said before he disappeared in the mist.

Naruto's eyes narrowed and he immediately jumped back, barely avoiding a kick from the Kiri Nuke-Nin.

"Take Tazuna-san away and run!" Kakashi ordered. "You can't win against him!"

"That became impossible the moment you got trapped." Sasuke said as he charged towards Mizu Zabuza.

Mizu Zabuza grabbed the hilt of his own Zanbato. Sasuke started throwing a couple of shurikens. The clone blocked them all with a swing of the blade. In the middle of the swing, Sasuke had jumped in the air to attack from above. Unfortunately for him, the clone merely used his free hand to catch him by the neck and threw him away.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called out in horror.

Mizu Zabuza's attention turned to Naruto.

"You know..." Naruto started with a smirk. "This clone made me realize something invaluable for the situation."

The clone raised an eyebrow at the statement. "You sound so confident... Do you actually think you have a chance? You're not a real ninja, kid. When I was your age, my hands were already soaked in blood." He said, scaring Sasuke and Sakura.

Naruto performed a cross handsign. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." He said as he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. When the smoke dissipated, there were dozens of Naruto.

"Kage Bunshin..." Mizu Zabuza said, slightly impressed. "You've made an impressive amount for your age. Perhaps you're more of a ninja than I gave you credit for."

Most charged at Mizu Zabuza. One jumped in the air and pulled out a large folded shuriken from his bag. "Fuma Shuriken: Kage Fusha!" He said as he unfolded the shuriken and threw it at the real Zabuza.

"Going after the real one, huh?" Zabuza said as he caught the shuriken. His eyes widened when he saw a second Fuma Shuriken. "Another shuriken in the first one's shadow?" He then jumped over it. "Worthless."

"Is that so?" He heard behind him. His eyes widened again as he looked over his shoulder and saw the second shuriken turning into Naruto, who threw a kunai at Zabuza. The Kiri-nin had no choice but to jump away from the water prison, freeing Kakashi in the process.

Zabuza looked at Naruto, with a small dripping wound under his right eye, rage obvious in his gaze. "Die, you damn brat!" He cried out as he charged towards Naruto, spinning the Fuma Shuriken in his hand.

Only for the Shuriken to be stopped by the back of Kakashi's hand.

Naruto smirked as he swam ashore.

"Great plan, Naruto." Kakashi praised, his eyes never leaving Zabuza.

"The brat's better than I thought." Zabuza admitted. "To force me to release you like that..."

"The Water Prison won't work on me twice." Kakashi said. "What are you going to do now?"

Zabuza responded by folding the shuriken, each blade applying more force on Kakashi's hand. Kakashi then deflected the shuriken, getting it out of Zabuza's grip, before they both jumped away from each other. Both of them performed the very same handsigns.

"Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu!" They called out at the same time. Water rose around them and turned into water dragons. Both dragons started clashing against each other, sending waves of water across the battlefield.

"_To copy and perform this many handsigns in just a few seconds..." _Sasuke thought. _"This is a power that not only Kakashi possesses, but__** him**__ as well."_

In the middle of the dragon clash, Kakashi and Zabuza were clashing blades, one with a kunai and the other with a Zanbato.

"_Something's weird..."_ Zabuza thought. _"The Sharingan is renowned for copying Jutsu, true, but he executed the Jutsu at the same time as I did. Is he able to-"_

"Read my mind?" Kakashi said aloud, shocking Zabuza.

Both of them jumped away and made the same handsign.

"So you can copy everything I do? That's nothing original!" Zabuza taunted.

"You can't beat me like that, you monkey!" They said at the same time, further shocking Zabuza.

Zabuza started doing multiple handsigns, with Kakashi perfectly copying him. "I'll just make sure you never open that copycat mouth of yours again!"

Zabuza then notice a figure shimmer behind Kakashi. It was his own form!

"That's..."

"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!" Kakashi interrupted. A large cascade rose and rushed towards Zabuza.

"Impossible!" Zabuza said before he was overwhelmed by the very Jutsu he intended to use. _"I was the one who started the Jutsu, but I was too distracted to finish it, leaving myself open to his own Jutsu."_

As the Jutsu stopped doing ravages to the surroundings, Zabuza had his back against a tree. He cried out in pain as he got a kunai in both biceps and thighs. He looked up and saw Kakashi on a branch above him.

"This is the end." Kakashi said once more.

"Can you see the future?" Zabuza asked.

"Yes." Kakashi answered as he brandished a kunai. "And yours is death."

Before could do anything, however, two senbon needles found their way to Zabuza's neck, shocking everyone.

Kakashi looked around and found a masked figure.

"Death indeed." The masked boy, confirmed by his voice, said.

Kakashi landed next to Zabuza and looked for a pulse, which he found none.

"No pulse." He said before looking at the masked man, who bowed his head slightly.

"Thank you very much." He said. "I was looking for a chance to kill Zabuza, which you and your team provided."

"That mask..." Kakashi trailed off. "You're one of Kiri's hunter-nin, correct?"

Along with the mask, the man also had the standard Kirigakure pinstriped outfit, which stopped at his knees. He wore a green haori with white trimmings and a brown sash around his waist. Most of his long black hair was kept in a white bun holder, while two frontal bangs framed his face, bound by metal hair cuffs at the end.

"You are well informed." The hunter-nin commented.

"_From his voice and height, he should __be__ around Naruto's age. And yet, he's a hunter-nin. That's not an ordinary kid."_

The hunter-nin landed next to Zabuza's corpse and carried an arm across his shoulders to lift him up.

"I must now dispose of the body." He said, disappearing.

Kakashi let out a sigh of relief before covering his left eye with his headband.

"We're not done here." He said. "We still have to take Tazuna-san home."

Tazuna laughed. "Sorry about all the trouble you went through. Feel free to rest at my house!"

"All right. Let's go." Kakashi said before he suddenly stopped. _"No! I used the Sharingan too much!"_ He realized before he fell unconscious.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura called out as everyone ran toward him.

"Sasuke." Naruto called out, getting the Uchiha's attention. "Does the Sharingan use a lot of Chakra?"

"It depends on how much he used it against Zabuza, which we couldn't see." Sasuke explained. "We also have to take the other Jutsu he used in consideration, so Chakra Exhaustion is a possibility."

"I'll carry him." Tazuna offered. "Just keep your guard up."

Shortly after, they finally arrived at Tazuna's house.

"Tsunami! I'm home!" Tazuna called out as he opened the door.

"Tou-san!" A woman with long, dark blue hair hugged Tazuna. She wore a short-sleeved pink shirt with the ends of her sleeves and her collar being red. "I'm so glad you're safe!"

Tazuna hugged his daughter back. "It's all thanks to these ninja."

Tsunami looked at Team 7 and gasped when she saw Kakashi. "Is he all right?"

"He's fine." Naruto reassured. "Do you have any place he could rest?"

"Of course. Let me prepare a futon for him."

A few hours later, Kakashi was awake.

"Are you all right, Kakashi-san?" Tsunami asked.

"Yes, thank you. I assume you are a relative of Tazuna?"

"His daughter. I am Tsunami. Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise."

"I see you're awake, sensei." Naruto said as everyone entered the room.

"The Sharingan is amazing." Sakura said as she sat next to Kakashi's futon. "But it leaves such a strain that I'm not sure if it's a good thing."

"But it shouldn't be a problem now, right?" Tazuna asked. "I mean, you defeated that guy."

"Yes... Zabuza is dead. So why do I feel uneasy?"

There was a moment of silence before Naruto spoke.

"I have a question that's been bugging me. Since when are senbon needles used for killing?" He couldn't remember any mention of senbon needles being reliable weapons.

Kakashi's eye widened at the question.

"Of course. Senbon Needles rarely kill unless they hit some specific parts of the body. There is also the fact that Hunter-nins normally sever the head before burning the body. All of this points towards this nin being an ally of Zabuza, meaning he is still alive." He said, scaring Sakura and Tazuna.

"You sure you're not worrying too much?" Tazuna asked.

"No. This uneasiness will not go away until we're fully prepared."

"How are we going to prepare?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi eye-smiled. "By training, of course."

"Training? But even with your Sharingan, you had a difficult time."

"By the time we face Zabuza again, I will be back to 100%, you three will have to worry about the false hunter-nin."

"It won't make a difference." A young voice said. They all turned to see a young boy with short black hair and dark eyes. He was wearing a yellow shirt, green overalls and a white hat with two blue trims.

"Inari! Where were you?" Tazuna asked as he held out his arms.

The boy ran to Tazuna's arms. "Welcome home, Jiji."

"Inari, say hello to the ninja. They are the ones who escorted Jiji back home." Tsunami said gently.

"They'll die against Gato." Inari said bluntly. "I'll go watch the ocean." He said before leaving the room.

"I'm sorry for his attitude." Tazuna said sadly. "He wasn't always like this."

"Well, there's nothing we can do now. So we'll start your training." Kakashi said before looking at Tsunami. "Do you have any crutches?"

After being supplied with crutches, Kakashi guided his team to a nearby forest.

"All right then, right now, the best way for all of you to improve is to increase your control over your chakra."

"How are we going to do that?" Sakura asked.

"Climb a tree."

"What, you mean walking on it like you and Zabuza walked on water?" Naruto asked. He had heard of the Tree Walking exercise.

Kakashi eye-smiled. "That's exactly what I mean. You did well remembering that fact, Naruto."

Kakashi performed a ram handsign before slowly limping his way up a tree until he was upside down on a high branch.

"Just gather your chakra at the bottom of your feet and try to make it attach to the tree trunk."

"How are we going to become stronger with that?" Sakura asked.

"That's easy." Naruto said, getting everyone's attention. "If this exercise increases our control over our chakra, then we will waste less chakra on our Jutsu, which makes us last longer in a fight. Not to mention that this exercise will also increase our chakra reserves, which, again, makes us last longer in a fight."

"Correct." Kakashi confirmed before throwing a kunai in front of each of his students. "There is also the fact that the feet are the hardest place to focus chakra, so training on that will help you focus your chakra during combat. Now, use the kunai I gave you to mark how high you get. Start by running, since you're just starting the exercise."

Sasuke focused his chakra and ran up a couple of feet before the bark broke under his feet. He marked his height and jumped back on the ground.

Sakura focused and managed to run up to a branch as high as Kakashi was on. "That was easier than I thought."

"So, right now, the one with the most control is Sakura. To think she actually surpasses the Uchiha in something." Kakashi said, trying to taunt Sasuke into trying harder.

"Sensei! Don't say such things!" Sakura cried out, not understanding Kakashi's intention. _"Now Sasuke-kun's going to hate me!"_

"How about you, Naruto? You haven't tried yet."

The blond focused his chakra, but tested the tree climbing a different way. He placed one foot on the trunk and bounce on his other foot for a small amount of height, to see if the first one would stick. When it didn't stick, he simply landed on his second foot and focused more chakra, sticking to the tree trunk this time. When he was satisfied, he made a cross handsign.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" He called out as dozens of clones appeared.

"You idiot! Why are you wasting your chakra!?" Sakura cried out.

Naruto looked at Kakashi. "When I read the scroll, it was written that the clones give their memories and remaining chakra to the original once they dispel. Then it would mean that, if all of these clones were to do the exercise, I would get their results added to my own. Am I wrong?"

Kakashi's eye widened before he eye-smiled. "You figured the Kage Bunshin's biggest secret with a simple guess. Great job, Naruto. Yes, The Kage Bunshin will also transfer the results of any chakra-related training to the original. With this many clones, you'll probably get a few months worth of training with this single session."

Naruto grinned before he turned to his clones. "All right, guys! You know what to do!" They all saluted and chose their own tree.

Sakura was awed at the Jutsu and Sasuke was jealous.

"Teach me the Jutsu." Sasuke demanded.

"Don't even try, Sasuke." Kakashi warned. "You don't have enough chakra for it, because the Jutsu splits chakra evenly between each clone. Even if you can make one, it will immediately dispel and you'll pass out. The only reason Naruto can use this Jutsu like that is because he has even more chakra than I do."

Sasuke was annoyed, but relented. He now realized that Naruto was getting ahead of him and that, with this Jutsu and training method, he would only get much stronger.

A little further away, Inari was observing the team. He was surprised at the clone technique and at how much faster the blond would get stronger. Maybe... Just maybe, Gato could be defeated.

Since then, for the next couple of days, it had been a small cycle. While Kakashi rested, one Genin protected Tazuna at the bridge and the other two trained.

Something else also happened that shocked Tazuna and Tsunami.

"Defeating Gato isn't impossible, is it?" Inari asked in the middle of dinner.

Kakashi eye-smiled at the boy. "Did watching my team train made you think that?"

Inari nodded before looking at Naruto. "If you have the ability to get over a year's worth of training in less than a week, than defeating Gato should be easy, right?"

Naruto smiled. "Of course." He was mostly cheering the kid up because Tsunami reminded him of Lisa, Alucard's mother. Both of them were women without a single bad bone within them.

Since that conversation, Inari started smiling.

That same evening, Sakura asked about a torn picture on the wall. Tazuna told the story of Kaiza, a fisherman Inari met and rapidly loved like a father and a hero to Nami no Kuni before Gato arrived and executed him.

Inari exited the house and sat down to watch the water.

"May I?" Kakashi asked behind him. Inari nodded and Kakashi sat next to him. "Hearing about Kaiza made me want to tell you something similar about Naruto." That got Inari's attention.

"Unlike you, who still have a mother and grandfather, Naruto was an orphan since the day he was born. In fact, most people hate Naruto because he was born on the same day the Kyuubi attacked Konoha, thinking he was a bad omen." It wasn't a _complete_ lie, but he couldn't tell the whole truth. "But, surprisingly enough, Naruto did not cry once. Or perhaps I should say, he never cared about what people thought of him. To him, they were random bystanders who judged whatever and whoever was remotely connected to something they hated or feared. Their opinions didn't mean a thing to him. He only cared about the opinion of a select few, like myself or the Hokage. Family and friends are what matters the most in this world, but you already knew that, didn't you?" He eye-smiled.

Inari did. He only wanted his family to live in peace.

After the week ended, Team 7 and Kakashi, fully recovered, headed to the bridge with Tazuna. Naruto left a few clones at the house, saying there should be some security for Tsunami and Inari.

When they arrived at the bridge, everyone was on the ground, in pain.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Tazuna demanded in panic.

At that moment, a mist appeared.

The team gathered around Tazuna and each pulled a kunai.

Sasuke's heart was pounding in excitement. He had felt worthless in the last battle against Zabuza. But this time, he would show his strength.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kakashi." Zabuza's voice echoed through the mist. "Though, you probably should have come alone. That brat over there is shaking again." Six Mizu Zabuza suddenly appeared around the group.

Sasuke smirked, to the clones' confusion.

"I'm not shaking in fear, but in excitement." He said.

"Go for it, Sasuke." Kakashi said.

Sasuke charged and got rid of all of the clones by himself.

"He can defeat Mizu Bunshins now, huh?" Zabuza observed. "You may have found a rival, Haku..."

"So it would seem." The false hunter-nin said. "Even if a Mizu Bunshin is only a tenth of the original's power."

"Well, we made the first move." Zabuza said. "Go for it."

Haku charged at Sasuke with great speed and threw senbon needles, but they were blocked by Sasuke's kunai. They then clashed with their respective weapons.

"Oh... To be able to catch Haku's speed. He really has improved." Zabuza commented.

"I don't want to kill you." Haku told Sasuke. "But you will not back down, will you?"

"What are you, stupid?" Sasuke taunted.

"As I thought... But you won't be able to keep up with me for my next move." Haku warned. "And I'm already two steps ahead of you."

"Two steps?"

"First is the water around us. I am in my natural element. The second one is that you have one of your arms busy. You can only take or block my attacks. I, on the other hand..." Haku trailed off as he performed single-handed handsigns with his free hand, to Team 7's shock.

"Hijutsu: Sensatsu Suisho!" He called out as he stomped a foot on the bridge, bringing all the water left by the Mizu Bunshin in the air and turning into ice needles, all aimed at Sasuke.

Haku jumped back to avoid the needles, while Sasuke focused chakra on his feet to jump high in the air.

Sasuke started throwing shurikens at Haku, who constantly jumped back to dodge them, before Sasuke appeared behind Haku.

"You're too slow." Sasuke said. "Now, you can only take or block my attacks." He said, using the fake hunter-nin's previous statement against him.

He attacked Haku with a kunai, but Haku grappled the arm to stop it. Sasuke didn't stop there. He threw the kunai at his opponent's face, but Haku ducked to dodge. Sasuke used that opportunity to kick him in the face, sending him flying towards Zabuza.

"He surpassed Haku in speed?" Zabuza said, shocked.

"Now try to make fun of my team because they're children." Kakashi said with pride. "Sasuke was the rookie of the year, Sakura is highly intellectual, and Naruto is the most cool-headed and collected of the three and is able to come up with plans on the spot, as I am sure you remember."

Zabuza scowled as he remembered that damn Fuma Shuriken. He then chuckled.

"Haku. You do know you'll be defeated if you keep up this pace?" Zabuza asked.

Haku got up. "Yes." He said as his aura changed. The air was noticeably colder. He was serious now.

Haku performed a handsign. "Hyoton: Makyo Hyosho!" He said calmly as multiple mirrors made of ice formed around Sasuke, their formation resembling a dome.

Haku then disappeared in one of the mirrors before appearing, as a reflection, in _every_ mirror.

"He's a goner now that Haku is using that technique." Zabuza claimed.

"Shall we get started?" Haku asked. "This is my true speed."

Immediately, Sasuke was attacked by senbon needles from every direction. He was wailing in pain as his weapons were now out of his reach.

Kakashi and Naruto started running towards the dome, but Zabuza stood in Kakashi's way while letting Naruto pass.

"Even if he progressed as much as the other one, it will mean nothing against Haku's full power." He said. "But if you intervene, Kakashi, I'll kill the girl and the geezer."

Sakura grabbed a kunai and tried to throw it at Sasuke to defend himself, but Haku, appearing from a mirror, caught it before it entered the dome. At the same time, he grabbed Naruto's collar and threw him inside the dome.

Sasuke cursed at that. The mirrors were obviously vital for the Jutsu. If Naruto hadn't been thrown in the dome, they would have had a solid plan. But their opponent knew that weakness and acted on it. He could try one thing, though.

He performed multiple handsigns. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" He breathed out a large fireball to try and melt the ice, but the mirrors were barely affected.

"These flames are not strong enough for that." Haku said before resuming his Jutsu, attacking both Naruto and Sasuke.

"To show you how hopeless it is to defeat me, I shall explain my Jutsu to you. The mirrors are a Travelling Jutsu. Their reflections work with me and only me. With my speed and the reflections combined, you are standing still until I'm no longer attacking."

Kakashi cursed. He had to save his students, but couldn't leave Tazuna unprotected from Zabuza. There was only one thing he could do.

He uncovered his left eye.

Zabuza chuckled. "The Sharingan again? How unoriginal." He pulled out a kunai and aimed to stab it straight in Kakashi's Sharingan. Only for Kakashi to block the blade with his free hand, injuring himself in the process.

"You call it unoriginal, yet you aim for it first. Are you afraid of it?" Kakashi asked.

Zabuza chuckled again. "You're not supposed to show your trump card more than once to your enemy."

"Be grateful. You're the only enemy to see it more than once. And I guarantee there will not be third time."

Zabuza smirked beneath his bandages. "Even _if _you defeat me, Haku is more powerful than I am when he is using that Jutsu." He said, to Kakashi's shock.

"Then I will have to hurry up." Kakashi said, opening his Sharingan eye.

"Good luck with that." Zabuza smirked. "Haku observed our battle with his brilliant mind. He already found counters for your Sharingan. Just like with the Water Prison for you, the Sharingan won't work on me twice. Ninpo: Kirigakure no Jutsu." The Mist thickened and Zabuza disappeared. They couldn't even see the dome anymore.

**Back with Sasuke and Naruto**

As the situation kept getting worse, Sasuke was beginning to be able to follow Haku's speed. He started breathing fireballs in Haku's way, forcing him to dodge before resuming his assault.

**Back with Kakashi and Zabuza**

"_Why did he make the mist so thick? He even shouldn't be able to see through it."_ Kakashi thought before he blocked a couple of shuriken aimed at him.

"You blocked them all. As expected from Kakashi of the Sharingan." He heard behind him. He turned around and saw Zabuza, who had his eyes closed.

"You overestimate your Sharingan." Zabuza said. "What good will it do if you're blind to your surroundings?"

"If you keep your eyes closed, you're blind as well." Kakashi countered.

"I am a master of the Silent Killing. My sense of hearing is all I need to find my target." Zabuza said as he disappeared once more.

Kakashi cursed. _"I haven't had to fight in such a bad situation in a long time."_ He calmed down and focused._ "Think Kakashi, where will Zabuza strike next?"_ His eyes opened wide in realization. _"Oh no!"_

Zabuza was behind Tazuna and Sakura. He swung his Zanbato at the bridge builder.

Only for Kakashi to take the blow, leaving a bloody gash on his torso.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura cried out in horror.

"You were too slow to guard yourself, Kakashi." Zabuza said. "But don't keel over quite yet, I still have to pay you back for last time." He chuckled as he disappeared in the mist.

Kakashi immediately gave chase.

**Back with Sasuke and Naruto**

Both Genin were practically pincushions under Haku's assault. However, Sasuke was finally fully able to follow Haku's movements.

He had grabbed a senbon needle from the floor and blocked the others.

"How are you able to do that, all of a sudden?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke looked at Naruto with a smirk. His irises were red. His right eye had two tomoe while his left one eye had a single one.

He had finally awakened the Sharingan.

"So you have a Kekkei Genkai as well." Haku said. "Then I'll have to defeat you before you can completely predict my movements."

Of course, Haku knew that attacking Sasuke directly was foolish now.

He charged straight for Naruto.

Sasuke ran as fast as he could to get between Haku and Naruto. Once he did, he could only take the blow for Naruto and push Haku away.

Sasuke's blood was dripping down to the floor as he fell down.

"Sasuke!" Naruto called out as he caught Sasuke's falling body.

"Is this really it?" Sasuke wondered. "I promised myself...I wouldn't die until I killed my brother... N-Naruto... After what I did...you better not...die." He said before he close his eyes.

There was a moment of silence before Haku got up and spoke.

"Is this the first time you see someone precious die?" He asked as he returned to the mirrors. "This is the path of a Shinobi."

Naruto chuckled, to Haku's confusion. Naruto got up and turned to Haku, who recoiled at the blond's gaze.

It was more bloodthirsty than Zabuza's when he talked about the Yondaime Mizukage.

"Someone precious?" Naruto asked with a smirk. "You misunderstand. With this mist hiding us from the rest of the group and with Sasuke out of the picture, I no longer need to hold back." He said as red chakra swirled around him. His wounds healed and he was no longer covered in senbon needles. His irises were blood red with slit pupils. His teeth turned into fangs and his nails lengthened into small claws. His hair became wilder and his whiskers thickened.

"_This thirst for blood... What is he? How was he hiding this within himself?"_

Naruto charged at Haku and punched the mirror he was in, smashing it in pieces. Haku tried to attack from above through one of the shards, but Naruto twisted his body and caught Haku's arm. Naruto reared his free arm and punched Haku square in the face, sending him flying out of the dome, which entirely broke after that last attack.

Haku could barely get up. That single punch alone proved he was outmatched. _"I am sorry, Zabuza-sama, I cannot defeat him." _He lamented as his mask broke to pieces.

Naruto charged at Haku and kneed him in the guts and punched him into the ground. He continued his assault until his hands were drenched in blood. There was no need to go further. His opponent was dead.

A crystal-like orb shot out of Haku, to Naruto's shock, and disappeared within Naruto.

"A soul? But how did..." Naruto wondered. His eyes widened in realization and he smirked. "Of course, I always could dominate human souls, but most of them were worthless. This world, however, is very promising." He chuckled.

**With Kakashi and Zabuza**

"_This chakra... Is the seal broken? ...No. If it was, the chakra would be much stronger than this."_ Kakashi thought as he pulled out a scroll _"I can't afford to waste time, now."_

He opened the scroll, took some blood from his wound, applied it to the scroll, made some handsigns and slammed the scroll on the floor. "Ninpo Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu!"

Beneath Zabuza's feet, dogs summoned by the scroll attacked Zabuza and restrained him by holding onto him with their jaws.

"If I can't follow you with my eyes or ears, I'll simply use my nose. I stopped your attacks and made your weapons reek of my blood to allow them to track you. The entire time you thought I was trapped, you were the one who fell for it." Kakashi said, making Zabuza scowl. "Tell me, Zabuza, do you think I survived this long only because of the Sharingan? Then allow me to show you a Jutsu of my own creation, not a copy."

He performed a few handsigns before lightning chakra gathered in his palm and around him. "Raikiri!"

Zabuza's eyes were wide in shock. "The chakra is visible in his hand."

Kakashi charged and rammed his lightning-covered hand into Zabuza's torso, piercing his heart.

The summoned dogs disappeared now that their task was completed.

"Sakura, Tazuna-san!" Kakashi called out. "Let's hurry to Naruto and Sasuke!"

They all ran towards where they thought the dome was, except they only saw...

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called out in horror as she ran to the Uchiha.

Kakashi was horrified, but also looked around for Naruto. In the slowly dissipating mist, he saw two figures: one was down and the other was standing over the other one. As he approached the two figures, he saw that Naruto was the one standing up.

"Hey, Naruto." Kakashi called out, but didn't receive an answer. He frowned, but saw the problem when he approached Naruto.

Naruto had a horrified look on his face as he looked at his hands, which were drenched in blood. Kakashi patted Naruto's shoulder, snapping the blond out of his thoughts.

"K-Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto said, his voice trembling. "He killed Sasuke...I just lost control."

Kakashi nodded. It certainly explained the Kyuubi's chakra earlier. Because of the fox, he did his first, and easily the hardest, kill.

"Do you hate the feeling of killing someone?" Kakashi asked.

"Of course I do!" Naruto scowled as he lied. "This feeling is disgusting."

"Then always remember it, for as long as you hate this feeling, you are a human, not a demon like the people of Konoha think you are. Let's go join Sakura and Tazuna."

Naruto nodded as he followed Kakashi. He saw Sakura crying over Sasuke's body.

"S-Sakura... You're heavy." Sasuke panted as he regained consciousness.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried in joy as she helped him get up.

"So Haku only put him in a near-death, or did he miss the killing shot?" Kakashi wondered.

"Aww, isn't this cute." A voice at the end of the bridge said with sarcasm.

Everybody got on guard and turned to see a small man with a small army of mercenaries behind him.

"Gato!" Tazuna said.

"I really should really thank you for killing Zabuza, as I had no intentions of paying him in the first place. Though I wish you had kept the other one alive. I would have loved to make him pay for breaking my hand." Gato said as he looked at his left hand, which was in bandages.

Before Gato could say anything else, an arrow landed right in front of him. Everyone turned to where the arrow came from and saw Inari holding a crossbow, the people of Nami behind him, holding various makeshift weapons such as pitchforks, and Naruto's clones beside him. The clones dispelled to give the original their chakra and memories. After they had stopped two mercenaries from taking Tsunami hostage, they followed Inari to gather the people to stand against Gato.

"Anyone who tries to pillage and steal from the island will face the force of the island!" Someone from the crowd said as the rest cheered in agreement.

Tazuna was crying in joy. "Inari... Everyone..."

The mercenaries were intimidated by the larger number.

"Scared now that you're outnumbered, huh? All right then, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Dozens of Naruto appeared, further scaring the mercenaries.

"Not a bad idea. I should have enough chakra to help." Kakashi said as he made dozens of Kage Bunshin.

The mercenaries were now running away, leaving Gato, who was much slower, behind.

"Oh no, you don't!" Naruto said as his clones chased and restrained the short man. "The people of Nami want to have a word with you."

The people of Nami all let out a Victory Cry.

When the bridge was finally completed a few weeks later, Team 7 had to leave.

"We've completed the bridge thanks to you, but we're going to miss you." Tazuna said.

"Be well." Tsunami said.

"Thank you for everything." Kakashi said as Team 7 turned around and left.

Tazuna smiled as he looked at Naruto. "That boy changed Inari's heart, and Inari changed the heart of the villagers. That boy created a bridge, called courage, which led to hope. Speaking of bridges, we have to name this one." Tazuna turned to the people. "What do you all think of the Great Naruto Bridge?" Everyone cheered in agreement.

While most of Team 7 were glad the mission was over, Naruto wondered what kind of new abilities he'd gain through the Power of Dominance.

**And there you guys go! About the Power of Dominance taking Haku's soul, I feel like Dracula would be able to take in human souls. I mean, he _can_ take _zombie_ souls. He just didn't take any human souls because most humans weren't worth his attention. That's my take on it.**

**Also, an important thing i need to talk about. A plot bunny showed in my head since the beginning of my hiatus. How would you guys feel about a Rosario Vampire fic with Tsukune having the powers of Emerl from Sonic Battle? I hear the Manga is more action-oriented, so that will be the main focus, but I probably could fit some of the Anime's more romance-oriented moments in it. It all depends on your interest, really.**

**I've rambled enough, until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Chunin Exams

**So, this is a bit earlier than intended, but I feel like, after my absence, it should be done.**

**utima-owner: Glad you think so. So long as one reader is interested, it's worth doing.**

**madmanmark666: Does the Crissaegrim count?**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 3: The Chunin Exams**

It was a few weeks after Team 7 had returned from their mission in Wave. Naruto was currently heading to the usual meeting spot. Of course he arrived a few minutes before Kakashi's 3 hour late arrival.

"Hey, you two." Naruto said as he leaned against a pillar.

"Good morning, everyone." Kakashi said when he arrived.

"You're late!" Sakura yelled.

Naruto sweatdropped _"Are they still coming at the specified time? You'd think they'd have learned by now."_

Team 7 then started doing their usual, boring D-rank mission for the day.

At a moment, Kakashi looked up to the sky and saw a peculiar bird. "All right, team, let's call it quits for today. I have to go submit a mission report now." With that, he left with the Shunshin.

Sasuke walked away. Since he heard Naruto had defeated and killed Haku, he's been more distant than usual.

"Wait for me, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said as she ran after him.

Naruto was about to walk away, but he noticed something.

"Rocks aren't square-shaped, Konohamaru." He said.

"I knew you would figure it out, boss!" Konohamaru said as the 'rock' exploded into smoke. "Maybe that was too much powder." He said as he and his two companions coughed.

After a moment, the girl of the group did a pose. "I am Moegi, the most beautiful girl of the class!"

The glass-wearing boy also did a pose. "I am Udon and I love dividing numbers!"

Konohamaru made a pose between the two. "And I'm Konohamaru, the village's number one genius Shinobi!"

"The three of us make the Konohamaru corps!" They claimed at the same time.

Naruto chuckled. "I know. You've done this multiple times already. So, what is it?"

"You said you would play Shinobi with us boss!" Konohamaru reminded.

Naruto blinked. "Is it that time already?"

"A shinobi playing Shinobi, what's the point?" A distraught Sakura, who was rejected by Sasuke, said.

"By doing this, I'm helping them train." Naruto explained. "Speaking of training, you really should focus on that more, maybe then Sasuke will notice you."

"Hey, boss? Who's this girl with the big forehead?" Konohamaru asked.

A tick mark appeared on said forehead as Sakura looked ready to pummel Konohamaru, who started running away from her.

Unfortunately, Konohamaru, in his escape, bumped into someone.

The guy Konohamaru bumped into wore a black, baggy, full body suit with a red and yellow circle at the front. He also wore a hood that had cat-like ears and a Suna headband. He also had war paint on his face.

The girl behind him had teal eyes and blonde hair, of a darker shade than Naruto's, that she kept in four ponytails. She wore a purple, off-the-shoulders garment that stopped at her thighs, with a red sash around her waist. She wore her Suna headband around her neck and fishnet on her shoulders and legs.

The guy grabbed Konohamaru by the scarf. "That hurt, you brat!" He said.

"Stop it, Kankuro." The girl said nonchalantly. "We'll get in trouble if you keep this up."

Before Kankuro could say anything, a hand gripped the wrist he held Konohamaru with.

"Forgive me, Kankuro-san." Naruto said without sounding apologetic. "But would you kindly let go of Konohamaru Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage's grandson?"

Kankuro, in his shock, let go of Konohamaru, who fell on his butt before hiding behind Naruto.

The girl sighed. "See? Even if Suna and Konoha are in an alliance, we would have in real trouble if you hadn't been stopped."

"Temari is right, Kankuro." Another voice said. A voice that scared Kankuro and Temari.

A guy landed next to the two through a Sand Shunshin. He had short and spiky auburn hair, pale blue-green eyes, surrounded by racoon-like black eye rings and a red kanji for love on his forehead. He wore a black full body outfit with t-shirt-like sleeves, ¾-length legs and an open neck. He had a white cloth over his right shoulder and left hip, as well as a wide leather band over his left shoulder and right hip. The leather band made him carry a large gourd on his back. He also wrapped his Suna headband on the leather band.

"You're a disgrace to our village." He told Kankuro.

"G-Gaara..." Kankuro said.

Gaara turned to Naruto. "I apologize for my brother's stupidity. Temari, Kankuro, we're leaving." He said before walking away, with the others following him.

"Wait!" Sakura called out. "Even if you come from an allied country, the treaty prevents Shinobi from entering each other's country without permission."

"Then they have permission, otherwise they wouldn't be allowed inside the village in the first place." Naruto said.

"Listen to that guy." Temari advised Sakura. "Even if he seems just as in the dark as you, he at least had the brains to figure _that_ out."

"Forgive us for being in the dark." Naruto said. "We simply have the laziest Jonin-sensei in the village."

Temari sighed. "And now I feel sorry for you... The Chunin Exams are happening here this time."

Sasuke jumped down from a nearby tree. "What's your name?" He asked.

Temari pointed at herself. "Me?"

"No, the one with the gourd."

Gaara turned to Sasuke. "You are not worth telling my name." As Sasuke scowled, Gaara looked at Naruto. "But _you_ are. I am Sabaku no Gaara."

"Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto said.

"Hopefully, we will meet in the Exams." Gaara said before he and his team truly walked away, this time.

"You were so cool, boss!" Konohamaru and his friends said.

Naruto simply chuckled.

Another trio was on a tree, observing the entire thing.

"What do you think?" The guy with the black spiky hair asked.

"They don't look like much." The one with the bandaged face said. "But we have to keep an eye on the blond from Konoha and the guy with the gourd."

* * *

**With the Hokage**

"I called you all here for a reason." The Sandaime said to the many Chunin and Jonin in front of him. "You should already know that from who is here, though."

"That time of the year already?" Kakashi asked.

"You've already reported to the other countries?" Asuma, Team 10's sensei and son of the Sandaime, asked. "I've already seen a few in the village." Asuma was a tall man with brown eyes, olive skin, short black spiky hair and a beard. From a certain angle, one might be reminded of a gorilla when looking at him. He wore the standard konoha ninja uniform, safe for a sash with the kanji for 'Fire' around his waist, his black bangles around his wrists and the bandages around his biceps.

"So? When is it?" Kurenai, Team 8's sensei, asked. Kurenai was a slender, fair-skinned woman. She had long and untamed black hair reaching her upper back and red eyes, quite unique when one doesn't have the Sharingan, with an additional ring in each irises. She had red lipstick and purple eye shadow. She wore red mesh armor that only had a right sleeve. Her outfit looked like bandages, that had a design of rose thorns, wrapped around her body. She also wore bandages on her hands and her thighs. Of course, she had the shinobi sandals and her headband.

"One week from now." The Hokage answered.

"That's sudden." Kakashi commented.

The Hokage puffed out some smoke from his smoking pipe. "Seven days from now, the first of July, we will begin the Chunin Exams. Those in charge of the new Genin, step forward."

Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma stepped forward.

"Which of your Genin do you wish to enter in the exams?" Hiruzen asked. "Let's start with you Kakashi."

"Team 7: Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno. I, Kakashi Hatake, recommend all three for the Chunin Exams."

"_W-What!?"_ Iruka thought.

"Team 8: Hinata Hyuuga, Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka. I, Kurenai Yuhi, recommend all three for the Chunin Exams."

"Team 10: Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, Ino Yamanaka. I, Asuma Sarutobi, recommend all three for the Chunin Exams."

Everyone behind the three whispered about how long it has been since rookies entered the Exams.

"Please wait!" Iruka said as he approached the three.

"What is it, Iruka?" The Sandaime asked.

"Excuse me for interfering, but all nine Genin were students of mine at the academy. Every one of them is talented, but it's too early! They need more experience!"

"Who are you to judge who is ready?" Kakashi asked a bit harshly. "Do I need to remind you that if Mizuki hadn't turned traitor, Naruto would still be at the academy? He had to _take advantage_ of a traitor's ploy to gain the Kage Bunshin, which allowed him to graduate." Iruka winced at that. "I should also mention that Naruto figured out the Kage Bunshin's biggest secret on his own."

_That_ was impressive, everyone admitted.

"You don't know how much they've improved, Iruka, so let it go." Kakashi finished.

"But-"

"Iruka." Hiruzen interrupted. "I understand your argument. Since you believe they are not ready, you will personally put them in a preliminary exam, knowingly or not."

* * *

**Back with Naruto, 2 days later**

Naruto was headed for the usual Team 7 meeting spot, once again, a few minutes before Kakashi's arrival. When he arrived, Sakura was complaining about not having the time to dry her hair. _"You had plenty of time, you just don't learn." _He thought.

"Good morn-"

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura screeched, interrupting Kakashi.

"I'll get straight to the point." Kakashi said. "I recommended you three for the Chunin Exams. Here are the applications." He handed a piece of paper to each student. "You are not forced to take it. If you feel you aren't ready, then don't take it. Sign the application if you wish to enter and, in 5 days, go to the academy by 3 P.M. and enter room 301. That is all." He then left with the Shunshin.

The next day, Naruto was walking around the village and met up with the Konohamaru Corps.

"Hey, boss, play with us!" Konohamaru greeted.

Naruto smiled. "I don't have any mission today, so all right."

The three kids cheered before a man appeared behind Moegi. He was about to pick her up and kidnap her, but received a fist to the face before he could. The moment he was on the ground, Naruto had placed a foot on the man's torso.

"Unfortunately for you, I don't allow myself to lower my guard with all the foreign ninja in the village." He said.

"That was awesome, boss!" The Konohamaru corps said.

"You really have improved, Naruto." That voice...

"Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked.

Sure enough, it was Iruka Umino in disguise.

"Sorry if I scared the kids." He said. "I was about to test you to see if you were ready for the Chunin Exams, but it seems I was worried for nothing, with you at least."

"I see." Naruto said.

"I would love to stay and catch up with you, but i have to test the others. Good luck with the Exams." Iruka said before he left with the Shunshin.

* * *

**Middle of the night**

"Well?" Kakashi asked as Iruka appeared behind him.

"All nine of them have grown. Sakura easily saw through my illusion and Sasuke beat the stuffing out of me."

"And Naruto?"

"Knocked me on the ground before I could do anything." Iruka admitted. "You were right about him more than the other two."

"The Chunin Exams won't be this easy."

"Indeed. But now I know they have what it takes."

* * *

**Day of the Chunin Exams, Academy yard**

"Sorry I'm late guys." Sakura said nervously. Apparently she still wasn't sure about entering.

The team had entered the academy and walked up to the second floor before they saw a gathering of people. A boy wearing green spandex with bowl-cut hair and thick eyebrows was pushed away by two Chunin.

"You're trying to enter the Chunin Exams with these sloppy skills?" One of the two Chunin guarding the door said.

"You should just quit." The other one said.

"Please, let us through." A girl holding her hair in two buns pleaded as she helped the spandex-wearing boy. She wore a pink sleeveless qipao-style blouse with red trimmings and yellow fastening buttons as well as dark green pants. She also had a pouch adjusted to her thigh.

"Hey, we're helping you here." The first Chunin said. "The Chunin Exams are extremely difficult."

"We've seen those who gave up on becoming shinobi or get seriously injured while taking the Exams." The second one said.

"A Chunin is a squad's commander." The first one said. "They are the ones held responsible for the mission failures and the death of comrades. For kids like you to try and take those responsibilities is repulsive."

"What's wrong with preventing those who won't pass the exams from entering them in the first place?" The second one asked.

"That's a sound argument. But I will pass." Sasuke said. "Undo the Genjutsu. I want to go to the third floor."

"So you noticed?" The second Chunin asked.

"Not me." Sasuke pointed his thumb at Sakura, to her shock. "She noticed long before I did. She's much better at analyzing the situation than I am."

Sakura was shocked at Sasuke's words, but it gave her the courage to go on. She smiled confidently. "Of course. This is the second floor, so I noticed it immediately."

The Genjutsu vanished and revealed that 'Room 301' was in reality Room 201.

"Well done." The first Chunin said. "But Genjutsu analysis isn't enough!" He said as he went to kick Sasuke, who responded by sending his own kick, only for both attacks to be caught by the spandex-wearing boy with a surprising show of strength and speed.

"Wasn't it you who said we had to hold back?" The boy's male teammate, a Hyuuga, asked. He had fair skin, like most Hyuuga, and dark-brown hair. He wore a Khaki shirt, a dull blue shirt beneath that, and mesh armour beneath the blue shirt. He had dark-brown shorts and wrapped bandages around his right limbs and his chest. His hair was tied in a loose ponytail, just a few inches above his hair's end. He wore two headbands: a small one with straps framing his face, and the Konoha headband over the first one.

"Sorry." The spandex boy said, though his attention was on Sakura, making the boy's female teammate sigh.

The spandex boy approached Sakura. "My name is Rock Lee. Sakura-san, please go out with me!"

"Um, no." She said, to Lee's dismay as he leaned against the wall in depression.

"Hey, you." The Hyuuga of the team called out, looking at Sasuke. "Who are you?"

Sasuke smirked. "You're supposed to introduce yourself before demanding someone's name." He taunted.

"You're a rookie, right?" The Hyuuga asked, ignoring Sasuke's statement. "How old are you?"

"I don't have to answer to that." Sasuke said.

The Hyuuga scowled.

"If we're going to waste time, let's waste it at the Exams' room." Naruto said, to which his teammates agreed with.

"Let's go, Sasuke, Naruto." Sakura said, getting the other team's attention.

"_Sasuke Uchiha."_ They thought.

"_There are a lot of monsters in these exams"_ Sasuke said in his mind as he thought about the male Hyuuga, about Rock Lee, about Gaara and then glanced at Naruto.

As Team 7 arrived on the third floor, someone called out.

"You there, with the black hair."

They turned to the voice and saw Rock Lee.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, being the only one of the three that had black hair.

"Will you fight me right here, right now?" Lee asked.

"You want to fight me?"

"Yes. As I said earlier, I am Rock Lee. 'You're supposed to introduce yourself before demanding someone's name.' That is what you said earlier right, Sasuke Uchiha?"

"So you know my name."

"I would like to fight you. To see if my hard work is a match to the Uchiha's natural talent. And..." Lee then turned to Sakura, creeping her out. "Sakura-san, I love you." He confessed rather easily.

Sakura shivered. "Those eyebrows, that haircut, those eyes... Everything about you is too unique for me."

"You're an angel." Lee said, seemingly not hearing her distress.

"You challenge me knowing of the Uchiha name." Sasuke said, breaking the moment. In Lee's mind, it was a moment. "Do you really want to know what an Uchiha is capable of?"

"Please." Lee said as he put his left arm behind his back and had his right hand in a chop position.

"Interesting stance." Naruto commented.

"This is the Goken fighting stance." Lee explained. "I must warn you, though, I am the Strongest of the Genin right now!"

"Interesting." Sasuke said. "Fine, I accept your challenge."

Sakura looked at a clock in the room and saw that they had less than half an hour to get to Room 301.

"This will only take two minutes." Naruto said before Sakura could warn Sasuke.

"How do you know that?" She asked.

"Just watch."

Sasuke charged at Lee and went for a punch, but Lee disappeared.

"W-Where is he?" Sakura asked.

"Up." Naruto said, looking over Sasuke's head.

"Konoha Senpu!" Lee said as he did an aerial roundhouse kick, which Sasuke ducked. Lee continued his technique with a sweep kick that Sasuke tried to block, but was too slow and ended up getting hit in the face, to Sakura's shock.

"That was pure Taijutsu." Naruto said, unfazed by the outcome.

"Pure Taijutsu...?" Sasuke asked as he got up. "Then how did he get through my guard?"

"By being faster than you." Naruto answered.

Sasuke scowled and activated his Sharingan. He now had two tomoe in both eyes.

"_The Sharingan! And he has it in both eyes!" _Sakura thought, awed.

"_So that's the Sharingan."_ Lee thought.

"_It won't change anything."_ Naruto knew that already. Lee's confidence was different from Sasuke's. "Don't get your hopes up now, Sakura. Observe and see if it makes a difference." The pinkette was confused at what Naruto said, but paid attention.

Sasuke charged Lee...and immediately got kicked in the chin, to Sakura's horror.

Lee charged Sasuke with a multitude of kicks before elbowing him in the abdomen.

"As you can see, your teammate was correct." Lee said. "Even if your Sharingan can see through Ninjutsu, Genjutsu and Taijutsu, if your body cannot follow what you see, then it is useless."

Sasuke was shaking in fury and charged Lee.

"Among the strong, there are two types of people." Lee said as he kept dodging Sasuke's attacks. "Geniuses and hard workers. If the Sharingan makes you a genius, Sasuke Uchiha, then I am the hard worker that constantly improves his Taijutsu. Your untrained Sharingan and my Taijutsu skills result in a one-sided fight!" With that, he kicked Sasuke in the chin once more, knocking him in the air.

Lee crouched and jumped behind Sasuke.

"I win!" Lee said as the bandages around his left hand unwrapped themselves.

"Stop right there, Lee!" A voice cried out. Everyone turned to the voice and saw a turtle.

Lee twisted his body and landed in front of the turtle and bowed while Sakura caught Sasuke's falling body.

"You were watching?" Lee asked the turtle, perturbed.

"Lee, you know that technique is forbidden." The turtle lectured

Lee bowed his head lower. "I'm sorry. I got carried away, trying to prove myself."

"You fool!" The turtle said. "That excuse isn't enough! You should know very well what it means when you show your trump card!"

"Y-Yes..." Lee said.

"Are you prepared to face to consequences?" The turtle asked.

"Y-Yes..."

"Guy-sensei, please take care of the rest." The turtle said.

A cloud of smoke appeared on top of the turtle and revealed an older version of Lee, with the exception of his eyes and even thicker eyebrows. The man, Guy apparently, wore a Flak jacket over his spandex. Sasuke and Sakura were horrified at the similar appearances.

"You guys are on the spring of your life, aren't you?" Guy stated. A few seconds later, he punched Lee in the face. "Baka!"

After that, both Lee and Guy seemed to be at a loss for words before hugging each other, somehow creating a Sunset Genjutsu.

"This is youth!" Guy said jovially before he patted Lee on the shoulder. "It's all right to make mistakes when you're young."

"You're too kind, sensei." Lee said, crying.

Guy nodded. "Now, run 100 laps at the training ground in the sunset!"

"Yes, sensei!" Lee agreed enthusiastically.

"What about the Chunin Exams?" Naruto called out, making them stop in realization and look sheepish.

"That's right... Lee, you will do the punishment training after the Exams!" Guy said.

Lee saluted. "Understood, Guy-sensei!"

"Because of the delay, however, you will have to do 500 laps!" Guy said, shocking Sakura and Sasuke.

"Yes, Sensei!"

Guy then looked at Team 7. "Is Kakashi doing well?"

"He's just as lazy and late as ever, if that's what you're asking." Naruto shrugged. "Have you known him long?"

"Of course." They heard Guy's voice behind them. "He and I are eternal rivals!"

"_I didn't see him move!"_ Sasuke thought as he looked at Guy with narrowed eyes. _"He was definitely faster than Kakashi."_

"How's that?" Lee asked. "Guy-sensei is amazing!"

"As expected from a Jonin Taijutsu Expert." Naruto said.

Guy gave Naruto a thumbs-up. "Ah! So you realized that Lee doesn't just follow my fashion style, but my fighting style as well! I certainly see why Kakashi thinks you're ready for the exam! Now, you three and Lee should get to Room 301!" As Guy was saying this, Lee was wrapping the bandages back around his left hand.

"Sasuke Uchiha." Lee called out, getting Sasuke's attention. "I must confess a lie. I am not the Strongest Genin. That title belongs to my teammate, Neji Hyuuga." He said before walking away.

"Shall we get going?" Naruto asked.

Nothing was said as the team headed to Room 301.

* * *

When they were in front of the room, they found Kakashi between them and the door.

"So Sakura decided to take the Exams as well." He said, sounding satisfied. Sakura and Sasuke were confused.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"We had to enter as a team in the first place." Naruto said.

"Correct." Kakashi said. "I didn't say anything because I knew Sakura would feel compelled to enter the Exams for her teammates, instead of for herself."

"And you would've prevented us from entering if we weren't a full team." Naruto said.

"Of course. Now go on in." Kakashi said, stepping away from the door.

Inside the room, they were a _lot_ of teams who glared at the team that just entered, which was Team 7.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, Sakura gulped nervously and Naruto remained stoic.

"Sasuke-kun!" They heard Ino's voice as she jumped on Sasuke's back. "I've been waiting for you ever since I heard you were entering."

"Get away from Sasuke-kun, Ino-pig!" Sakura said.

"Ah, Sakura... Your forehead is as wide and ugly as ever." Ino said, getting off Sasuke's back and glaring at Sakura.

"Man, you guys are here too?" Shikamaru sighed as he and Choji approached the group.

"Hey, the gang's all here!" Kiba said as he and Team 8 approached the group.

"You guys too? Troublesome." Shikamaru sighed again.

"So, the Rookie Nine are taking the Exams, huh?" Kiba wondered aloud. "Think you can keep up, Sasuke?"

"You seem confident, Kiba." Sasuke smirked.

"Of course. With my training, I won't lose to you."

"You know, you guys should quiet down." A guy with grey hair, round glasses and a Konoha headband said as he approached the group. "You are all fooling yourselves if you think this is a field trip."

"Who are you to tell us that?" Ino demanded.

"I am Kabuto Yakushi. Look around the room."

Everyone turned to see every Shinobi glaring at them.

"Everyone is tense, since the Exams are about to start. Keep going and you'll paint a target on your back." He said.

"Then have you taken the Exams before?" Sakura asked.

"The Exams happen twice a year, every six months. This is my seventh time." He said, shocking some of them.

"Then you're well-informed, right?" Sakura asked.

"Indeed, perhaps I should share some information with you..." He said, pulling out a deck of cards. "...with my Info Cards. I burn the information in them with my chakra and they are invisible until I apply some more chakra."

He placed a card on the floor and applied chakra on it. A small map of the Elemental Countries appeared with statistics on how many teams per country entered.

"This is the amount of people participating in the Exams, as well as which country sent them." Kabuto said. "Tell me, why do you think the countries do the Exams together?"

"To show your village's strength without going to war?" Naruto guessed. He didn't know but it would make sense.

Kabuto nodded. "Very good. Doing it this way also deepens the relationship between each country."

"Do your cards give information on individuals?" Sasuke asked.

"They do." Kabuto confirmed. "Who has caught your interest?"

"Sabaku no Gaara of Suna and Rock Lee of Konoha."

"You even know their names. That saves me some time." Kabuto said as he pulled out two cards from the deck. "Let's start with Rock Lee. He's a year older than you guys. He did 20 D-rank mission and 11 C-ranks. The team's Sensei is Might Guy, Konoha's Taijutsu Expert. Lee's Taijutsu skills have skyrocketed this past year, but his other skills are terrible. His teammates are Neji Hyuuga and Tenten." Hinata seemed nervous at the mention of Neji.

"Next up, Sabaku no Gaara. I don't have much on him. All I know is that he did 8 C-rank missions and a single B-rank. The only other information I have is a rumor that says he did all those missions without receiving a single injury."

"A B-rank as a Genin and doesn't get injured." Shikamaru repeated, shocked.

"This year, there are a lot of talented Genins from the Hidden Villages. Oto, the Village of Sound, was only recently created, so I don't have much info on them. It doesn't change the fact that all these villages are powerful."

"I'm starting to lose confidence." Hinata said.

"It's too late to say that!" Ino said.

Naruto then looked at the mass of Shinobi to look for other familiar faces and found Gaara's team. When he met Gaara's gaze, he knew that he had been watching him the entire time he got in the room. After more looking, he saw Lee's team.

At that moment, the team from Oto jumped over the crowd. Their target: Kabuto.

The guy with spiky black hair threw some kunai at Kabuto, who jumped back to dodge. The guy with the bandaged face then charged Kabuto, readying a punch. But Naruto appeared in front of him and kneed him in the gut, to the shock of the rest of the Rookie Nine.

Naruto threw the guy to his teammates. "Save your strength for when you have to fight in the Exams. You will only look weak if you are so easily provoked." He said.

"So the Uchiha isn't the only one in the team who is skilled." Neji realized.

"He didn't look like much with that outfit." Tenten said before looking at Lee's green spandex. "Then again..."

Lee didn't notice, however, as he was caught in his desire to not only face Sasuke, but Naruto as well.

"I'm glad I dropped the kid when I did." Kankuro said nervously.

Temari nodded. "He's probably still holding back."

Gaara smiled psychotically.

A cloud of smoke appeared at the front of the class. "Quiet down, you maggots!" An aggressive voice demanded.

A group of proctors were now in the room. In front of them was a large, imposing man with two large scars on his face. He wore his headband like a bandana. He wore the same grey outfit as the other examiners, along with a black coat.

"I am Ibiki Morino, Head Proctor of the first test of the Chunin Exams. You, the Oto team, follow the brat's advice and don't try anything funny, otherwise all three of you are out of the Exams!" Ibiki said.

"My apologies." The bandaged one said. "We got excited, with this being our first Exam."

"You don't see the rest of the first-timers doing the same." Ibiki countered. "Since this happened, I will warn everyone. Do not try to fight unless it is allowed. It is also prohibited to kill each other. Failure to comply results in being thrown out of the exams, understood?" Hearing no complaints, he continued. "We will now begin the first test of the Chunin Exams. Turn in your applications, take a number and take that numbered seat. We will then pass the papers for the test."

Everyone did so and Ibiki stated the rules. "First rule, you will start with 10 points. Each question is worth a single point. Answer correctly, you keep your points. Answer incorrectly, you lose a point. Second rule, passing or failing the test depends on the team's total amount of points. Third rule, if a proctor around the room determines you cheated during this test, you will lose 2 points. Finally, if anyone in the team goes down to zero, the entire team fails. You have 45 minutes to do the first 9 questions, after that we will all do the last one together. Begin!"

The questions on the papers were too complicated for the Genin in the room. So everyone started cheating as subtly as possible.

Kiba's ninken, Akamaru, was telling the answer from looking at those who had an easy time answering, since only an Inuzuka could understand a ninken that doesn't speak the human language.

Shino was using his Clan's ability to communicate with insects to copy the answers.

Tenten used ninja-wire to tilt the mirrors on the ceilings and see other people's answers. As well as showing the answers to Lee.

Naruto looked at the paper, then leaned on his left knuckle and closed his eyes. Hinata, who was using her clan's Kekkei Genkai, the Byakugan, to see other people's answers, saw Naruto and was worried about him. But before she could whisper to him, due to being seated to his right, he opened his eyes and smirked before writing on the paper, one question at a time.

Sakura easily answered by herself as well. When she answered them all, Ino used her Clan's Mind transfer Jutsu and invaded Sakura's body to read her answer.

Neji also used the Byakugan, to see through someone's body and read his answers.

Sasuke used his Sharingan to copy someone's handwriting, copying the answers at the same time.

Gaara closed one eye and created an eye out of sand. He then crushed it. The grains of sand went to another genin's eyes. The Sand Eye appeared over the genin's test and allowed Gaara to see the answers.

Kankuro said he had to go to the bathroom and a proctor cuffed him and followed him. In truth, that same proctor was Kankuro's literal puppet, Karasu, and the entire time, Karasu communicated the answer, in a way only a puppeteer understood. When he returned, it was time for the 10th question.

"Before I tell you the question, there is a special rule. First, you are going to choose if you wish to answer the question or not." Ibiki said.

"And if we decide not to answer?" Temari asked.

"Then you fail the exam, taking your teammates with you, and try again next time." Ibiki answered.

"Then of course we're going to take it!" Someone yelled.

"But if you take the question and answer incorrectly, you will never be allowed in the Chunin Exams ever again!"

Blood ran cold for most of them as they heard that.

"That's a dumb rule!" Kiba said. "Some of us have taken these exams before!"

"They didn't have me as a proctor back then. If you think you got what it takes, then answer. If not, raise your hand right now and try again next time."

A lot of hands were raised until 80 students were left. It was more than Ibiki expected, but it seems that, though they were nervous, they were willing to take the risk.

"Very well then." Ibiki said. "Everyone here passes the test!"

"What? What about the question?" Sakura asked.

Ibiki laughed. "There is no question! Or perhaps I should say, the question is whether or not you take the question."

"Then what was the point of the nine other questions?" Temari asked.

"To test your abilities in Information Gathering. We showed you the pressure a Chunin constantly goes through during each mission. As you should all know by now, these questions were far too complicated for Genin, that's why we have 2 Chunin among you to copy from." Two participants got up, reducing the number to 78. "Those who weren't sneaky enough failed, of course. Why?"

Ibiki removed his headband, revealing his heavily scarred head. It had punctures and burn marks, scaring the students.

Naruto, however, respected that. This was a truly strong man right there.

"Information can be more important than life at times, on missions and on battlefields... That is why you must never reveal information when tortured!" He put his headband back on. "Information from a third party won't necessarily be accurate. If you get your information wrong, you could put your village at risk. That is why we forced you to cheat to get the answers."

"I still don't agree to that tenth question." Temari said.

"And yet it is the most important one." Ibiki said. "The tenth question was 'take or not take'. Either you don't take and fail, or take and fail, if you answer incorrectly. Let's say you've become Chunin and you have a mission of taking a secret document. The number of enemies, their abilities and weapons are unknown. Not to mention the possible traps set up. Will you accept the mission?"

"For the sake of our village, we have to risk our very lives." Naruto said.

Ibiki nodded. "Exactly. Now that all of you know that, I wish you luck for the second test."

Suddenly, a ball of cloth entered the room through breaking a window. The ball had someone inside who threw kunai on the cloth's corners, embedding to the walls and revealing a flag.

The person inside the cloth? A woman with purple hair shaped like pineapple, from behind unlike Shikamaru's over the head ponytail. She wore an orange mini-skirt and an open tan overcoat with fitted mesh suit underneath, from her collar to her mid thighs.

On the flag was written 'The proctor of the second Exam: The sexy and single, Anko Mitarashi.'

"I am the second proctor, Anko Mitarashi!" The woman said.

There was an awkward silence in the room.

"You're early." Ibiki said from behind the flag. Anko expertly ignored the comment.

"What the hell, Ibiki! 78 participants!? Have you gotten soft?" Anko said.

"They were nervous, but willing to take the risk." Ibiki said, walking around the flag. "That's what made them pass in the first place."

"Whatever, my test will have more than half of these teams fail." She claimed, unnerving the Genin. "Your Jonin-sensei will tell you the meeting point and time. Be there tomorrow. That is all."

Naruto smirked. Her claim alone made this interesting.

**And that's it for now. By the way, here's something I forgot to mention last chapter: I believe Dracula himself is able to decide if he gets his victims' souls or not. So there will be time where he kills, but doesn't get the soul.**

**On the other hand, as I've seen for myself while playing Aria of Sorrow, you can get souls just as you kill enemies if you bulldoze through them with Black Panther, instead of letting the soul fly all over the screen. So when Naruto is in direct physical contact, he can take the soul with everybody else being none the wiser.**


	4. Chapter 4: A Lord's scheme

**ultima-owner: I know, right? How many others, in the Shinobi Realm, can resist torture like he did?**

**madmanmark666: He's not gonna get it just yet. I think too many people would get suspicious if they knew a blade like that existed. First, He gets another sword that I believe is perfect for the Shinobi Realm.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 4: A Lord's scheme**

"Welcome, everyone, to Training Ground 44, also known as the Forest of Death." Anko introduced. "Before we begin the exam, I'm going to pass these out to everyone." She said, pulling out consent forms.

"Is Hokage-sama worried about being on the receiving end of another Kage's wrath?" Naruto asked.

"More like he doesn't want to go to war because someone died, so everyone will sign these." She said before handing the pile to Naruto, who took a paper before giving the pile to the person next to him, and so on and so forth. "I will now explain the Exam. It's basically a big Survival Match. The Forest of Death is a large circular forest surrounded by 44 gate entrances, hence the rank Training Ground 44. There is a river and a tower in the very middle of the forest. The tower, which is your destination, is exactly 10 km away from every gate."

She pulled out two scrolls of different color. "These are the Scrolls of Heaven and Earth. You will have to bring both to the tower. 13 teams will get a Heaven Scroll and the other 13 will get the Earth Scroll."

"_No matter what, half of the teams are guaranteed to fail."_ Everyone realized.

"You need to reach the tower in the following five days." Anko added. "Here are the rules. 1: A team must be full to pass. 2: If a member of the team dies, the team fails. 3: Don't open in the scrolls until you reach the tower."

"What happens if we do?" Someone asked.

"That's a surprise." Anko grinned. "As a Chunin, you will be handling top secret documents, one day. This will test your reliability. Take the consent forms to the hut and you will get your scroll. You'll also receive your gate number and start at the same time."

Team 7 exchanged their forms and got a Heaven scroll and gate 12.

When the gates opened, everyone rushed into the forest.

As Team 7 made their way in the forest, they were attacked. A massive gust of wind separated Naruto from the team.

"Tch, we're off to a bad start." He said before a shadow passed over him. He looked up and saw a massive snake.

The snake wrapped its tails around him, to keep him still, before gobbling him whole.

"All right, that's disgusting." He said. "Not staying in here longer than I have to." He tried piercing the snake's insides with a kunai, but that didn't work. He then created Kage Bunshins to inflate the snake until it burst. The snake had exploded.

"Finally out." He said as his clones dispelled. "Now, I have to find those two."

* * *

**With Sasuke and Sakura**

Both Genin were afraid. After that wind attack, a Kusa-nin came to them, seeking a fight. He simply flared his Killing Intent and they saw their death. This wasn't a normal nin. To get rid of the fear, Sasuke stabbed his thigh with a kunai before running away, only to be found again.

Just as the Kusa-nin was charging toward them, he had to stop to avoid getting hit by Shuriken.

Naruto landed on a nearby tree. "You guys all right?"

"Naruto!" Sakura cried out in joy.

"Stay away from the kusa-nin, Naruto!" Sasuke said. "He's way out of our league!"

"So you defeated the snake I sent your way, Naruto-kun?" The Kusa-nin asked. The way his body was extended and wrapped around a tree branch reminded Naruto of a snake.

Sasuke pulled out the Heaven's scroll. "I'll give you the scroll. Take it and leave us in peace." He said.

The Kusa-nin smiled. "I see, you're smart. A prey's only hope for survival is to bargain with the predator..."

Sasuke threw the scroll at the Kusa-nin, only for Naruto to land between them and catch it, shocking the others.

"You idiot! What are you-" Before Sasuke could say anything else, Naruto punched him straight in the face. "What the hell are you doing?" Sasuke asked as he caught himself.

"You're the idiot." Naruto said. "If you looked at the thirst for blood in his eyes, you'd know he wouldn't let you go, even if you gave him the scroll."

"And there is the prey who knows he will be attacked no matter what, and therefore prepares himself to fight for his life." The Kusa-nin said, to Sasuke and Sakura's shock, as he licked his lips with a ridiculously long tongue. "I'll just have to kill all three of you to get the scroll." He rolled his left to show a tattoo. He then bit his thumb, drawing blood, applied it on the tattoo, and slammed on the tree branch. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

A snake, much larger than the last one Naruto saw, appeared beneath the Kusa-nin's feet. It destroyed the branch from beneath Naruto's feet, knocking him in the air. As the snake raised it head to reach Naruto, it opened its mouth.

"Oh hell no! I'm not getting eaten again!" He said as he activated Kyuubi's chakra.

He twisted his body to avoid the mouth before clawing at the snake, blood gushing from the newly-made wound. He then kicked the snake, sending its head back slightly.

"Those eyes..." The Kusa-nin said. "There's no mistaking it."

When Naruto was about to continue his assault, snakes came out of the Kusa-nin's sleeve and restrained him before bringing him closer to the nin. He lifted Naruto's jumpsuit top and found what he was looking for.

"There it is... The Kyuubi's seal." He said.

"_The seal is still visible?"_ Naruto thought. The seal never broke, considering Kyuubi never escaped, but he didn't think it was still visible.

The Kusa-nin performed a handsign before bracing a single hand, his fingers glowing with chakra.

"Gogyo Fuin!" He said, striking Naruto straight at the seal on his abdomen.

"_D-Dammit."_ Naruto thought before he lost consciousness.

The Kusa-nin took the Heaven's scroll from Naruto' pouch before throwing him aside, down to the shadows of the Ground Floor.

"Naruto!" Sakura called out as she threw a kunai to embed itself on the clothes and tree to prevent him from falling, but, to her horror, she missed, resulting in Naruto falling in the Shadows.

* * *

In these very shadows, Shinigami appeared and caught his lord. It was finally time...

He returned to the castle, carrying his lord. He felt that every servant felt their master's return.

He arrived at the throne room, where the rest of Dracula's essence was, and sat his lord on the throne.

Feeling its missing piece in the body, Dracula's essence merged with the body.

Dracula opened his eyes and saw his surroundings. "So I am finally back..." He said as he looked at himself. "Yet I do not feel the curse of the vampire within me."

"**The Crimson Stone was what gave you the curse, my lord. With it broken, your new body can't receive the curse. Whatever power you do not have due to lack of vampirism, you have a similar one through your arsenal of souls. You will need a replacement to gain eternal life once more, however."** Shinigami said. Dracula nodded. **"You should rest, my lord. You must recover your strength for your return."**

Dracula smirked. "Actually, I would like to talk about that. Have you observed my mission in Nami no Kuni?"

"**Unfortunately, I was busy keeping the others from going in a panic. I was fortunate to be able to observe the Chunin Exams."**

"Then you will love to hear this." Dracula said. "The human souls in this new world are worthy of mention."

The Shinigami grew interested. **"You have another soul?"**

The Lord of Darkness nodded. "I have domination over Haku Yuki's soul, gaining his Kekkei Genkai."

"**The Hyoton Kekkei Genkai... This is unexpected."**

"I shall play along as a human for a while longer." Dracula said. "I will, however, use the five days to my advantage here." He said as he summoned a Persephone maid. "Bring me Muramasa. I shall bring it with me when I leave."

The maid bowed. "Right away, my lord!" She said before leaving the Throne Room.

"**I suppose a change to more noble clothes is out of the question, then."**

"Of course. While it is possible to find a weapon in the forest, a fresh pair of clothes is quite the stretch. That is why we shall leave the seal as it is. There shouldn't be anyone with the ability to release the Gogyo Fuin within that forest, other than the one who used it on me in the first place."

"**Speaking of the seal, my lord, I believe it is time to unite the two halves of Kurama."** Shinigami said, handing Dracula a glowing crimson orb.

Dracula took it and absorbed it, finally completing the fox.

* * *

**Back with Sakura and Sasuke**

Sakura applied another wet rug on Sasuke's forehead as she though on what happened. After Naruto's defeat, Sasuke gained the courage to fight the Kusa-nin and it was pretty even for a moment, but the Kusa-nin was actually someone named Orochimaru, in disguise and severely holding back. When he revealed his identity, he bit Sasuke on the neck, leaving a weird mark and making him lose consciousness, and left.

It was now the second day of the second exam and she was sleepy from keeping watch.

"Keeping watch and not getting a wink of sleep." A voice said, fully waking her up through fear. She turned around and saw the Oto team that almost attacked Kabuto. "Could you wake up Sasuke?" Despite sounding like a question, it was an order. "We would like to fight him, though I wished my revenge on that blond, but it seems you've been separated."

"What is your purpose here?" Sakura asked. "Did Orochimaru sent you? What is that mark he put on Sasuke's neck?" Her last two questions shocked the bandaged guy.

"What is Orochimaru thinking, sending us against someone he marked?" He wondered.

"Does it matter?" The spiky-haired guy asked rhetorically. "I wanna fight him even more."

"Wait, Zaku." The bandaged guy said. He then patted the ground. "The dirt's color indicates it's recently been dug up. Such a mediocre trap."

Zaku scowled. "That explains why she threw her kunai at our tagged squirrel. The explosion tag probably went off by now."

Sakura's eyes widened. A squirrel tried to approach her earlier and she scared it off by barely missing it with a kunai, but she didn't know it was tagged with an explosive. The poor thing...

"Let's get rid of her right away." The bandaged guy as the entire team jumped in the air.

Sakura smirked as she cut a tripwire. A giant log was about to smash into the entire team.

"Worthless." The bandaged guy rolled his right sleeve, revealing a strange contraption on his forearm and destroyed the log. How he did it, Sakura couldn't see.

"Konoha Senpu!" A familiar voice cried out as he kicked the Oto team away.

Landing in front of Sakura was Rock Lee, with a familiar squirrel on his shoulder.

"How did you get here, Lee?" Sakura asked.

"Thanks to this little guy." Lee said as put the squirrel on the ground. The squirrel quickly ran off.

The bandaged guy pulled an Earth scroll. "Zaku, I trust you to deal with Sasuke." He said, throwing the scroll to his teammate, who caught it. "I'll deal with these two."

He rolled his right sleeve again. "I can have some fun against your Taijutsu skills." He said, charging at Lee.

Sakura threw a kunai at him, but he jumped to dodge. He then punched Lee, who blocked. He smirked and flicked the contraption. A sound echoed in the area and Lee started bleeding from his left ear.

"W-What!?" Sakura cried out as Lee staggered for a moment.

"Surprised? With this gauntlet, I can use my chakra to manipulate sound and send it wherever I want."

"_This is bad." _Lee thought. _"I have to incapacitate him before he gets me a second time."_ He unwrapped the bandages on his hands. _"Guy-sensei, I can now use this Jutsu for the one reason you permitted...to protect someone precious!"_

Lee rushed to his opponent with surprising speed and kicked him on the chin, sending him in the air. He jumped behind his opponent and trapped him in his bandages. Lee grabbed his opponent as they fell.

"Damn. Dosu won't be able to break the fall restrained like that!" Zaku said as he made some handsigns.

Lee and Dosu started spinning. "Omote Renge!"

Zaku slammed his hands in the ground, burying them.

Lee jumped away just in time to let Dosu crash on the ground by himself, however, the ground was softened to cushion his fall.

"Just in the nick of time." Zaku said.

Dosu pulled himself out of the hole.

"Impossible!" Lee said.

"What a technique." Dosu said. "Even with Zaku using air pressure to soften the ground, it's still very painful."

Lee was panting. His body was strained from the Lotus.

Dosu readied his gauntlet, charged at Lee and threw a punch, which Lee dodged. It didn't matter, the sound waves reached him anyway. Lee became shaky and fell to his knees before throwing up.

"Your turn!" Dosu said, charging at Sakura, who readied a kunai.

Lee quickly got up and charged at Dosu, who looked shocked.

"Konoha Senpu!" He said, about to kick Dosu, but he was slowed down, due to his agony.

Dosu caught the kick. "Even if you can move, my attacks left their mark." He went to punch Lee, who dodged. But the sound waves attacked his left ear again. This time, he fell unconscious.

Further away, Team 10 was observing the battle.

"I say we run away." Choji said. "They're too dangerous for us."

Shikamaru sighed. "Sasuke's out of it, I don't see Naruto anywhere and Lee is defeated. Now, it's just Sakura. What do we do, Ino?"

"We have to help them." Ino said before she sighed. "But what can we do? We can't just jump in."

Sakura tried throwing shuriken at Dosu, but Zaku appeared in front appeared in front of him and used air pressure to send the shuriken right back at Sakura. The girl of the Oto team appeared behind Sakura and grabbed her by her hair.

"Your hair is much softer than mine." She said, shaking Sakura's head around. "If you have time to take care of your hair, train more! Are you trying to look good?" She turned to her teammate. "Zaku, kill that Sasuke guy right in front of her face!"

Zaku smirked. "That sounds good, Kin."

Sakura tried to get up, but Kin pulled on her hair. "Don't move!"

Sakura started crying. She was useless once again. She wanted to be the one protecting someone, not being the one protected.

Even as Zaku approached Sasuke's body, nobody noticed the dark chakra leaking out.

Sakura pulled out a kunai.

"That won't work on me." Kin said.

Sakura smirked at her. "Who says it was for you?" She asked as she cut her hair, shocking Ino to the core. Both of them let their hair grow long because they had heard a rumor that Sasuke liked long-haired girls.

Kin caught herself and tackled Sakura, but she already used Kawarimi to get away. Zaku sensed Sakura charging at him from the right. She threw some kunai at him, which he sent back with air pressure. Sakura once again disappeared with Kawarimi.

"Is that the only Jutsu she can do?" He wondered aloud before looking up, immediately finding her. He threw some kunai at her then looked around, thinking she had used Kawarimi again. He looked up in shock when he felt blood fall on his face. She crashed on him, rammed a kunai in his right arm and bit his left arm, to everyone's shock.

Zaku started punching her head. "Let go, you psychotic bitch!" He kept punching her until he finally was able to push her away. Just as he was about to use air pressure on her, Team 10 appeared between them.

"They just keep swarming in..." Dosu said. "Konoha is certainly full of bugs."

"What are you two thinking!?" Choji asked, scared. "These guys are too dangerous!"

"It's troublesome, but we can't let Ino deal with this by herself." Shikamaru said as he kept hold of Choji by the scarf to prevent him from running away.

That didn't stop him from trying.

"Go ahead and run, fatass." Zaku taunted.

Choji stopped. "What did you say?"

"_Uh oh."_ Shikamaru thought. _"Any insult about weight is taboo to Choji."_

"I said you can run away if you want, Fatass!" Zaku said.

Choji turned to Zaku with comical rage. "I'm not fat! I'm big-boned!" He yelled as he flared his chakra.

Choji's teammates smiled, he was finally motivated to fight.

"All right then! Formation Ino!" Ino started.

"Shika!"

"Cho!" Shikamaru and Choji followed before the latter made a handsign. "Baika no Jutsu!" He then inflated like a balloon. His limbs and head retreated in his body. "Nikudan Sensha!" He said, rolling towards Zaku like a boulder going down a cliff.

"What the hell? That's just a fatass rolling. Zankuha!" He said, sent his airwaves at Choji.

The airwaves kept Choji rolling in place for a moment before he jumped in the air and started falling towards Zaku. Dosu charged at his teammate to try and push him out of the way.

"Ninpo: Kagemane no Jutsu!" Shikamaru said as his own shadow extended and connected with Dosu's, keeping him in place.

Zaku jumped out of Choji's way just in time.

"Your turn, Ino." Shikamaru said as he made Dosu do some stupid poses with the Kagemane no Jutsu.

Ino made a handsign and pointed it at Kin. "Ninpo: Shintenshin no Jutsu!" She said as her mind left her body and controlled Kin's body.

Zaku was still dodging Choji.

"Dammit... Kin!" He called out.

'Kin' opened her eyes and pointed her kunai at her neck. "If you try anything, I will kill this girl." She said, shocking Zaku and Dosu. "You can just drop your scroll and leave. I'll free the girl once we can longer sense your chakra." She stopped speaking when they started laughing.

Zaku attacked 'Kin' and Choji with his airwaves, making 'Kin' slightly bleed from her mouth and making Choji dizzy. The same injury appeared on Ino's body.

"Idiot girl..." Zaku said.

"Our orders are to kill Sasuke Uchiha, not to get through the Exams." Dosu explained.

At that moment, the Kagemane no Jutsu stopped, freeing Dosu.

"So this Jutsu only lasts five minutes, huh?" Dosu said. "Then there is the girl's Jutsu, which allows her to leave her body and take control of another's, but if we kill Kin, she will die as well."

"You would kill your own teammate?" Shikamaru asked.

Zaku aimed his hand at 'Kin'. "If we have to." He said.

Shikamaru sighed. "It's over."

Choji punched the ground. "Damn it!"

"You almost had us." Zaku said.

"So pathetic." A voice above them said. Everyone turned to the source and saw Neji and Tenten. "Mere Oto-nins acting like victors against second-rate Shinobi." Neji said.

"You Konoha-nins really are like bugs!" Zaku said, irritated that someone else joined the fight.

"The one with the bobbed hair is our teammate." Neji said, activating his Byakugan. The veins becoming visible next to his eyes surprised everyone, except Tenten. "You seem to have gone overboard with him!"

Neji then sensed something and deactivated his Byakugan.

"Then how about coming down here and teach us a lesson?" Dosu taunted.

"That is unnecessary. Someone else will prevent me from wasting my time with you." He said.

Sasuke was up. He had black marks all over the left half of his skin and was leaking sinister chakra.

He looked at Sakura and saw her condition. "Sakura... Who did this to you?" His voice was calm and ruthless.

"_T-The cursed seal!"_ Dosu thought.

Zaku smirked. "I'm the one who gave her a beating!"

Sasuke immediately turned to Zaku.

Shikamaru, along with Ino's body, and Choji hid. Ino cancelled her Jutsu and returned to her body.

"Orochimaru really did mark him..." Dosu realized.

"It doesn't matter! I'll deal with him!" Zaku said.

"Zaku, don't! You don't understand!"

"Zankukyokuha!" He called out as he sent air waves of mass destruction towards Sasuke and Sakura.

The tree in front of him was completely destroyed.

"That'll teach you!" Zaku smirked.

"Teach who?" Sasuke said as he appeared next to Zaku, carrying Sakura, and backhanded him in the face, sending him flying several feet away.

"Zaku!" Dosu called out.

Sasuke made some handsigns faster than ever before. "Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" He said as he breathed out several small fireballs toward Zaku.

"That's nothing!" Zaku said as he sent airwaves to extinguish them. But within the fireballs were shuriken that never faltered, wounding Zaku.

Sasuke rushed toward Zaku, got behind him and grabbed his arms while putting a foot on his back.

"You seem quite proud of these arms, aren't you, Zaku?" Sasuke asked rhetorically as he pulled Zaku's arms and applied pressure on his back.

"S-stop!" Zaku pleaded. But Sasuke didn't stop and dislocated his arms.

Sasuke dropped Zaku and turned to Dosu. "And then there was one." He said calmly walking.

Sakura ran toward Sasuke and hugged him from behind.

"Stop!" She said. "Please...stop..."

The marks returned to the seal left by Orochimaru. Sasuke sat on the ground and started panting.

"Sasuke Uchiha." Dosu called out, pulling out the Earth's scroll. "We cannot defeat you. Take it." He put the scroll on the ground, grabbed his teammates and left.

"_What adnormal chakra."_ Neji thought as Tenten picked Lee up. Or rather, she shook him to wake him up.

Ino decide to fix Sakura's hair.

After that, everyone went their separate ways.

* * *

**Two days later**

"Four days since the Exams started and still one scroll and no sign of Naruto." Sasuke said as he and Sakura cooked fish. "Remembering that the exam started at 3 P.M., we have about 25 hours left."

"A lot of teams probably finished by now." Sakura said. "We have to find a Heaven's scroll and Naruto."

Sasuke nodded and pulled out a canteen. He tried to drink, but it was empty. "I'll go get some water." He said, walking away.

Sakura stayed behind, watching the fire grow weaker.

"Sakura-san." She heard someone call her out. She turned around and saw...

"Kabuto-san?" She said. "What are you doing here?"

"I got separated from my team and am headed to the tower to meet up with them, since we have both scrolls." He said before looking around. "Where are Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun?"

Sakura looked down. "Sasuke is gone to get some water and we got separated from Naruto when we were attacked by that Orochimaru guy."

Kabuto's eyes widened. "Orochimaru of the Sannin?"

Sakura looked up to Kabuto. "You know him?"

"Everyone has heard of him. He was one of Sandaime-sama's students before he became a Nuke-nin."

"Kabuto?" They heard Sasuke ask.

"Good day to you, Sasuke-kun." Kabuto greeted. "As I just told Sakura-san here, I got separated from my team and was heading to the tower to meet up with them."

"And I'm just supposed to believe you're not after our scroll?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, if you require proof." Kabuto said as he pulled out the Heaven and Earth scrolls.

Sasuke braced himself.

"You would fight me for one of my scrolls?" Kabuto asked.

"We're running out of time." Sasuke said. "This is the only way."

Kabuto smiled "I disagree."

* * *

"Should there even be enemies left?" Sasuke asked as he, Sakura and Kabuto tree-hopped in the direction of the tower.

"Of course. The best way to fight in a battle like this exam is to place a trap and ambush the enemy. With so little time left, everyone will cluster around the tower to trap each other." Kabuto explained.

By nightfall, the trio were at a visible distance from the tower.

They tried getting closer, but despite how long they walked, they never seemed to approach the tower.

They realized they were trapped in a Genjutsu. As they noticed this, they were ambushed by an army of Ame-nin.

"Don't worry about their numbers. They're all Bunshin of a kind." Kabuto advised.

* * *

The team of Ame-nin hiding behind the Genjutsu chuckled at the luck of finding such easy preys, only to feel an arm wrap around their necks and a blade pierce their torso.

* * *

The army disappeared.

"Hey, what happened?" Sakura asked.

"Someone must have taken care of the real ones." Kabuto theorized.

"An enemy?" Sasuke asked.

"Not a chance." A familiar voice answered. They all looked up and saw Naruto and two Kage Bunshin carrying the Ame team.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried out in joy.

"So, you didn't kick the bucket." Sasuke stated.

"Would you rather I did?" Naruto asked.

"Of course not. If I have to spend five days in this forest for this exam, I want to pass."

"You and me both." Naruto said as he landed in front of the others, dispelled his Kage Bunshin and searched the Ame team for scrolls. "How are we, scroll-wise?"

"Orochimaru, the man who attacked us, burned our Heaven's scroll, but we got an Earth Scroll from the Oto team that attacked Kabuto before the first exam." Sakura answered.

"I see..." Naruto said as he kept looking for a scroll in the Ame-nin's belongings.

Sasuke looked the katana strapped to Naruto's hip. "Where did you get this?"

Naruto pulled out a Heaven's scroll from the Ame-nin and shrugged. "I simply found it and took it. Anyways, we got both scrolls, now."

Sakura cheered and Sasuke smirked.

* * *

By dawn, they all reached the tower and even met up with Kabuto's teammates before each team went their separate ways.

They entered a large room that had a riddle of some kind, but there was a piece missing.

"Now that we've arrived at the tower, I think we can open the scrolls now." Naruto said.

With that, the team opened the scrolls and threw them away when they saw a summoning seal.

The scrolls had summoned Iruka Umino.

"Congratulations on finally passing the second exam!" Iruka said. "If you would allow me, before you take the few hours you have left to rest, I would like to complete my mission of describing the text for you. It is the principality for every Chunin. The Heaven written there means the mind. If you lack in that department, study to develop it. The Earth is the body. If, like Sakura, your physical strength is your weakness, train yourself every day. If you have both Heaven and Earth, even the hardest of mission can become safe. The missing letter, the 'person', represents Chunin as a whole. This exam tested you to see if you have the qualities of a Chunin. And you have proven that you do. Now, you have a few hours before the third exam, take them and be careful."

* * *

The team did take advantage of the hours of break, though Naruto didn't need them, but nobody needed to know that. Afterwards, everyone had to go to an arena within the tower. There 21 people, or 7 teams, in all, along with the Hokage, the proctors, Ibiki and Anko, and the Jonin-sensei of each team.

"To begin, congratulation on passing the second exam." Anko said. _"I know I said I would cut the numbers in half, but I was kinda aiming for single digits."_ She thought in disappointment. "We will now proceed with third exam, Hokage-sama will explain everything."

"Before we begin, there is one thing I want to make clear to everyone: the true purpose of the Chunin Exam." Hiruzen began.

"Isn't it to test the strength of one's country without going to war?" Naruto asked.

The Sandaime nodded. "That is exactly the reason, along with 'helping relationships between countries' and 'improving one's self'. The Chunin Exams are a replacement for war between the countries. They were created to show your country's strength with the lowest possible death rate. During the third exam, many Daimyo and other potential clients will be watching you. If you show how powerful your village is, it will receive many mission requests."

"This is a waste of time." Gaara said. "Tell us the details of this specific exam."

"Very well then, but..." A sickly man appeared before the Hokage could finish.

"Forgive me, Hokage-sama, but as proctor for the third exam, I, Hayate Gekko, should explain."

"By all means." Hiruzen said with a nod.

Hayate coughed as he turned to the teams. "Because of the large number of participants, you will have to fight in preliminary rounds. As Hokage-sama said, many potential clients will be watching your battles. To see this many people fight would take far too long. If you are not feeling well, you are free to quit without taking your teammates with you. After all, the battles, from now on, will be one-on-one."

"_Not a chance." _Sasuke thought before pain shot through the Cursed Mark.

"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura whispered. "Maybe you should withdraw. The mark still hurts doesn't it? You're in no condition to fight. Whatever you say, I'll tell Hokage-sama about the mark."

"They already know." Naruto whispered. "Anko-san is clutching the same place as Sasuke and both her and Hokage-sama are looking at Sasuke."

Sasuke and Sakura looked and saw that Anko was indeed clutching the same place as Sasuke's mark.

"I'll quit." Kabuto raised his hand.

"Kabuto Yakushi of Konoha, correct? You may leave, then." Hayate said. Kabuto nodded and walked away.

"I suppose nobody else wishes to quit, then? Very well, we shall begin the preliminary rounds. This will be like real combat. The fights will only end if someone dies, is knocked out, or admits defeat. However, if I deem the match over, I will stop you if you go on fighting."

A small part of the wall opened and revealed a screen.

"This electric bulletin board will randomly choose two participants for each match."

**Yoroi Akado vs Sasuke Uchiha**

"Participants, step forward." Hayate said. "Everyone else, please move to the catwalks."

As everyone did so, Kakashi walked by Sasuke.

"Sasuke, don't use the Sharingan." He said.

"Naruto was right, then, you all knew." Sasuke commented.

"If the mark acts up, it will kill you. If it activates, the match will be stopped."

Sasuke scowled slightly._ "Then I'll have to stick to Taijutsu, if I don't want it to act to my chakra usage."_

"First match: Yoroi Akado against Sasuke Uchiha. Are you ready?" Hayate asked, receiving nods. "Hajime!" He said, jumping away.

Yoroi's right hand glowed with chakra while his left hand went to his pouch. Sasuke readied a kunai. Yoroi threw some shuriken at Sasuke, who reflected them at Yoroi with his own kunai. The mark then gave a small amount of pain, enough to make him trip. Yoroi dodged the shuriken and charged at Sasuke. He then threw a punch at Sasuke, who dodged and tripped Yoroi before grappling his right arm, in position to break it. Yoroi simply grabbed on to Sasuke's shirt and his hand glowed with chakra. Sasuke started feeling weaker.

Yoroi was absorbing Sasuke's chakra.

His strength leaving him, Sasuke could no longer hold the arm. Yoroi backhanded Sasuke on the torso, got up, jumped away and charged at Sasuke, grabbing his opponent's head and absorbing more chakra.

Fortunately, Sasuke managed to kick Yoroi away and get up.

Yoroi chuckled as he got up. "You still have some strength left? I'll finish this quickly." He said as he charged.

Sasuke kept dodging Yoroi's palm as best as he could. As he dodged, he saw Lee in his line of sight. _"Of course!"_

Sasuke crouched to dodge Yoroi's palm and kicked him in the chin, sending him in the air. Guy and Lee's eyes widened at the way Sasuke did it. _"That's..."_

Sasuke jumped behind Yoroi. Just as he did, the mark started acting up and started spreading across his skin. _"N-No! I won't... let it win!"_ The marks retracted, to the shock of those who knew about it.

Sasuke smirked. He twisted his body to kick Yoroi, who blocked. He twisted himself to backhand Yoroi from the other side before punching him in the abdomen, sending him downward. He twisted himself once again and kicked Yoroi in the abdomen just as he hit the floor. "Shishi Rendan!" He said, pulling a name out of nowhere. The floor cracked at the impact. Sasuke slid backwards and ended up face down, but quickly got up. Yoroi was unconscious.

"Winner of the match: Sasuke Uchiha." Hayate said.

Kakashi appeared next to Sasuke. "Well done." He said.

Naruto was unimpressed. _"If Lee hadn't challenged him, he wouldn't have copied that move." _

"_Not bad."_ Gaara thought as he looked at Sasuke. His gaze then turned to Naruto. _"But what about you?"_

Kakashi crouched next to Sasuke. "Let's go seal that mark." He said.

Sasuke got up with Kakashi and they walked away. The medics carried Yoroi away.

"Let's begin the next match." Hayate said as the board chose the next fighters.

Orochimaru, disguised as the Oto Jonin, left with the Shunshin, to find Sasuke and Kakashi.

* * *

**Zaku Abumi vs Shino Aburame**

Zaku seemed confident, even though he had both arms in slings. Shino was as stoic as he always was.

"Are you two ready?" Both Genin nodded. "Hajime!"

"If you fight me here, you will never be able to fight again." Shino said.

Zaku smirked. "No worries. I got a working arm." He said, pulling his left arm out of the sling. "That's all I need!" He then charged Shino. Shino blocked Zaku's arm.

"You can't beat me with only one arm." Shino said.

"Zankuha!" Zaku called out, sending airwaves out of his hand, sending Shino to the floor. "Come on, stand up. That can't be all you've got!"

Shino got up and his bugs started crawling all over him.

"What the hell kinda trick is that?" he asked before he heard a lot of noises behind him. He turned around and saw a large amount of bugs crawling his way.

"They are called Kikaichu. They attack their prey in groups and suck their chakra." Shino explained. "If I attack you with this many bugs, you will never be able to fight again. It would be logical to give up now. Attack me with your left arm and the bugs will attack you. Attack them and I will attack you. You can't win. Always have a trump card."  
Zaku shook in rage. With a battlecry, he aimed his left hand at Shino. "Don't underestimate me!" He said, pulling his right arm from the sling and aimed his hand at the swarm of bugs. "'Always have a trump card.' That's what you said, right?" With another battlecry, he focused as much chakra as he could in his arms to sent powerful airwaves.

Unfortunately for him, his arms detonated, chakra flowing out of his arm. He cried out in pain. He looked at his hands. The air cavities were full of bugs!

"When I told you to give up, I sent my bugs to your arms to clog the cavities with their bodies. _That _was my trump card." Shino said before backhanding Zaku, knocking him unconscious.

"Winner: Shino Aburame!" Hayate said.

"_Though the only relationship we had was this mission, Zaku, I will avenge your loss."_ Dosu swore as he watched the medics carry Zaku away.

Kakashi reappeared behind his students.

"Is Sasuke-kun all right?" Sakura asked.

"Yes. He's asleep at the hospital." He said.

* * *

**Misumi Tsurugi vs Kankuro**

"Unlike Yoroi with Sasuke, I won't go easy on you." Misumi said.

Kankuro put his puppet, still wrapped in bandages, down. "Talk all you want, it won't change my mind."

"Since both of you claim to be ready, Hajime!" Hayate said.

"I won't let you do anything. This will be a swift victory!" Misumi said as he charged and went to punch Kankuro, who blocked with his forearm. Misumi's body extended and wrapped itself around Kankuro's limbs and neck.

"I can take my joints off their hinges and use my chakra to control my loosened body." Misumi explained. "That's why I can strangle you until your bones break. Unless you give up, I'll keep going. I don't know what sort to tool you have in these bandages, but it won't help you when restrained like this. Give up or I'll break your neck."

Kankuro smirked. "Absolutely not."

"You want to die!?"

"You're the one who's going to die." Kankuro said before Misumi broke his neck.

"What an idiot. I got carried away and broke his neck."

As he said this, pieces of Kankuro's face fell off. Kankuro's head did a literal 180. A face was behind a fake layer of skin.

"**Now it's my turn"** A distorted voice came from 'Kankuro's mouth as the fake layer was discarded, revealing a puppet, and multiple arms wrapped around Misumi, trapping him. The real Kankuro jumped out of the bundle of bandages. Strings of chakra were connecting his left hand to the puppet.

"I give-" Misumi tried to say, but was interrupted by the breaking of his own bones.

"Winner: Kankuro."

Sakura looked at Misumi as he was carried away by the medics. _"And I thought I was good at using my chakra."_

* * *

**Sakura Haruno vs Ino Yamanaka**

"I didn't think I'd be fighting you." Ino admitted.

"Neither was I." Sakura responded.

"Ready? Hajime!"

The fight started with a couple of dodged attacks before Sakura threw two kunai at Ino, who caught one and threw it to the other. Both girls charged at each other, with Sakura creating two Bunshin. She increased her speed with chakra and managed to punch Ino in the face. Ino quickly got up and threw a shuriken at Sakura, who responded by deflecting it with one of her own.

They then charged and exchanged a couple of blows before punching each other in the face at the same time sending each other flying backwards. As they got up, Ino pulled out a kunai and cut her own hair, throwing what was cut in front of her. She prepared to use the Mind Transfer on Sakura, who didn't move and started talking about the weaknesses of the Jutsu.

Sakura, however, never realized that Ino threw her hair between them for the purpose of keeping her still by using her chakra to make a leash around one of her legs, making her an immobile target for the Mind Transfer Jutsu. Ino, in control of Sakura's body, raised her hand and gave up before cancelling the Jutsu, giving Ino the victory.

"_Pathetic."_ Naruto thought. _"Why would you point out a Jutsu's weaknesses to someone who knows them better than you?"_

* * *

**Tenten vs Temari**

Both girls simply stared at each other as they stood on the ring.

"Hajime!"

Tenten jumped in the air and threw some shuriken at Temari, who looked unfazed. The shurikens landed next to her.

"I missed?" Tenten wondered. She _never_ missed her mark!

"Tenten's attack missed!?" Lee said, disbelief on his face.

"She didn't miss." Naruto said.

Lee turned to Naruto in confusion. "Naruto-kun?"

"I saw Temari's movements. That tool on her back is a Battle Fan. She's a wind user. She swung her fan and used the wind to deviate the shuriken before holstering her fan, making it look like she didn't move." Naruto looked at Lee. "If Tenten doesn't use a different strategy, she _will_ lose."

Tenten once again jumped in the air, opened a scroll and spun in the air. Different kinds on weapons were appearing from the storage scroll and Tenten threw each one at Temari, who grabbed her fan and swung, once again using wind to deviate the projectiles. This time, Temari didn't bother holstering her Fan.

"This is the first star." Temari said, talking about the purple dot on her fan. "Once you see all three, you lose."

Tenten pulled out twin scrolls, put them on the ground and made some handsigns. _"I planned on saving this for the third exam, but I can't hold back."_

"Soushouryu!" She said.

The scrolls exploded in smoke. Two smoke dragons rose in the air and spiralled around each other. The smoke dragons dissipated to reveal the scrolls. Tenten jumped inside the spiral, pulled out weapon after weapon and constantly threw them at Temari.

"No matter how many you throw at me, it will be the same!" Temari said, unfolding her fan to reveal the second star. She swung her Fan again, deflecting the projectiles with wind once more.

"I'm not done!" Tenten said, using ninja-wire to send her weapons back in the air and sending them back to Temari. Temari swung her fan as she reveal the third star, sending Tenten and the weapons backwards.

"Ninpo: Kamaitachi!" Temari said before swinging her fan, sending a tornado towards Tenten. Tenten was sent in the air as the tornado made several cuts to her body. As she fell, Temari folded her fan and held it out next to her, making Tenten fall straight on it, back first. Tenten caught blood as her back bent.

"Winner: Temari." Hayate said after seeing that Tenten wasn't moving.

Temari threw Tenten away, but Lee appeared to catch her.

"Nice catch." Temari taunted.

"Why did you do this to her?" Lee demanded. "This isn't how you treat someone who fights their hardest!"

"Shut up." Temari said. "Just take the piece of trash and leave."

Lee charged at Temari. "Konoha Senpu!"

Temari blocked Lee's kick with her folded fan. "Too slow."

The medics took Tenten away, calming Lee down, as everyone waited for the next matchup.

* * *

**Shikamaru Nara vs Kin Tsuchi**

"_I have to fight a girl? How troublesome..."_ Shikamaru thought.

"Hajime!"

"Kagemane no Jutsu!" Shikamaru said, extending his shadow to reach for Kin's.

Kin jumped to the side and threw some senbon needles, with bells attached to the back, at Shikamaru, who ducked to let them stick to the wall.

"Bells? What next, throw one with a bell and the other without one to confuse me?" Shikamaru taunted.

"You talk too much!" Kin said, throwing more needles, which Shikamaru dodged.

He then heard the sound of bells behind him and thought more were coming from behind, only to see that one of the earlier thrown had a string attached to it. Kin used that distraction to throw more needles, hitting Shikamaru.

"Whew, dodged a critical hit." Shikamaru said, pulling out the needles from his wound. While he did get hit, he managed to move enough that the needle didn't anything that would hinder him. "Now, I won't get tricked."

"So you say." Kin said, pulling on the string again.

Shikamaru then became wobbly and fell to his knees.

"These bells are special." Kin claimed. "Their vibrations go directly to the eardrums and up to the brain. Then, it shows you a Genjutsu."

As she said this, Shikamaru started seeing multiple Kins.

Kin then started throwing needles at him, hitting him once more as he didn't know which ones to dodge. She was about to throw more, but couldn't move.

"W-What?"

Shikamaru sighed in relief. "Kagemane no Jutsu, successful."

"What are you talking about?"

Shikamaru smirked. "I _control_ my shadow. I can shrink it to the point where it was your own string's shadow, which it couldn't have one in the first place with the height you're holding it." He then held out his right arm, making Kin do the same.

"But how are you going to win like this?" Kin asked.

Shikamaru and Kin pulled out a shuriken each and threw them at each other. Shikamaru literally bent backward to dodge, with Kin doing the same, only for her head to hit the wall, knocking her unconscious.

"Winner: Shikamaru Nara."

"_So I'm the only one left." _Dosu thought as the medics took Kin away.

* * *

**Naruto Uzumaki vs Kiba Inuzuka**

"Finally." Naruto said.

"Piece of cake." Kiba boasted as he looked at Naruto.

Noting the following silence, Hayate assumed they were ready. "Hajime!"

Akamaru jumped out of Kiba's jacket.

Kiba crouched. "Gijyu Ninpo: Shikyaku no Jutsu!" He then got on his hands and feet, like a dog. His nails lengthened into claws.

He charged at Naruto, who unsheathed his sword and thrust it forward, forcing Kiba to dodge by twisting sideways. Naruto then tried to stomb Kiba's crouched body, but Kiba backed away.

Naruto then charged at Kiba proceeded to do multiple swings, all of which Kiba barely dodged before backing away.

"Are you going to take me seriously now?" Naruto asked.

Kiba and Akamaru charged at the same time. Kiba pulled out some smoke bombs and threw them at Naruto, making them explode. Kiba was about to rush in the cloud of smoke, only for Naruto to charge at him with surprising speed and punch him straight in the gut, making him caught blood before falling back a few feet. Akamaru tried to jump at Naruto and bite him, only to be caught the back of his neck.

Kiba got up. "Naruto. Give Akamaru back."

Naruto smirked at the calm and serious tone Kiba used. "_Finally_, you take me seriously." He said, putting Akamaru down. The ninken ran back to Kiba. Kiba pulled a Food Pill and gave it to Akamaru, who ate it before his fur turned red. Kiba also ate a pill.

"Let's go, Akamaru!" Kiba said as he crouched again. This time, however, Akamaru jumped on his back. "Gijyu Ninpo: Jujin Bunshin!" He said as Akamaru turned into a clone of Kiba. Both charged at Naruto, who quickly jumped away to dodge the first strike. One Kiba then charged again. Naruto sidestepped the attack and backhanded him. The other one charged and tried to swipe Naruto, who ducked and responded with an uppercut.

The Kibas jumped in the air and started spinning like drills. "Jujin Taijutsu Ougi: Gatsuga!"

Naruto smirked. To everyone's shock, some more than others, chains shot out of his back, dug into the floor before emerging beneath the Kibas and restraining them.

"What the hell!?" Kiba, the real one, said.

"These are chains made from my chakra." Naruto said. "A little something I discovered I could do during the second exam." He lied about the last part. It came from Kushina's soul. "I can't win by making you give up like this, though. That wouldn't prove anything." He said as he retracted the chains.

Kiba and Akamaru quickly got up and the former threw more smoke bombs at Naruto before they started spinning for the Gatsuga again. They attacked the entire area engulfed in smoke until it all dissipated, only to see that Naruto was nowhere to be found.

"Over here." Naruto said from under the catwalk Team 7, 8 and 10 were, making his opponents turn to him.

Naruto sheathed his sword before charging and punching both of them in the gut followed by elbowing them on the back of the neck, knocking them both down.

"Winner: Naruto Uzumaki."

"All right, Naruto!" Sakura cheered.

"_He really has grown."_ Kakashi thought. _"He even used his mother's chains."_

"_I'll have to talk to him about how he is able to use the chains."_ Hiruzen thought as the medics took Kiba and Akamaru away.

Naruto was walking back to his team, but as he walked by Hinata...

"N-Naruto-kun..." She called out.

Naruto turned to her. "Is something wrong?"

Hinato nervously shook her head and held out something to him. "I-It's healing ointment. Y-You didn't get injured, b-but..."

Naruto smiled. "I see..." He gently took the ointment from her and pocketed it. "Thank you."

Hinata blushed and nodded before running to catch up to Kiba and give him ointment as well.

* * *

**Hinata Hyuuga vs Neji Hyuuga**

The atmosphere suddenly became very tense as the two stepped up.

"Hajime!"

"Give up." Neji said almost immediately. "You're not fit to be a ninja. You are too kind. You seek harmony and avoid trouble. And you just go along with someone else's idea. You also lack self-confidence. You always feel inferior. That's why, if the Chunin Exams did require the entire team to enter, you wouldn't have been here in the first place."

"You're wrong..." Hinata said. "I wanted to change myself..."

"Hinata-sama." Neji said. "You are indeed a spoiled child of the head family. People cannot change. A failure is a failure. Someone's personality and power will never change. That's why terms like 'elites' and 'failures' exist. Everyone judges you by how good your face, head, abilities, body shape and personalities are. There are things that cannot be changed. People suffer due to their limits, and live. Just like how we can't change the fact that I am from the branch family and you are from the head family. My byakugan has seen many things. That's why I know these things! You're just trying to be tough. You are thinking about how much you want to leave this place right now."

"That's not true!" Hinata said. "I really want to..."

Before she could finish, Neji activated the Byakugan to intimidate her.

"You can't fool my eyes." Neji said. "You moved your eyes to the top-left corner after everything I said. This means that you are recalling a past event. A harsh past of yours. Then, your eyes moved to the bottom-right. This means you are imagining physical and mental pain. Therefore, you imagine your old self and predicted what will happen in this match through past experiences. A prediction that says you will lose! The way you have your arm in front of you...shows that you want to put a wall between us to create some distance. You do not want me to see your true feelings. Because everything I said was true. You are also touching your lips to show that your mind is disturbed." Hinata had tears in her eyes. "You are trying to lower your nervousness and uneasiness. In other words, you know...that you cannot change who you are!"

Hinata fell to her knees, shaking and crying.

"I...I can't... I'm sorry... Kiba-kun... Shino-kun... Kurenai-sensei... I can't do it."

Hayate felt quite bad for the girl. "Winner: Neji Hyuuga."

Kurenai went to Hinata and kept her close.

* * *

**Sabaku no Gaara vs Rock Lee**

Lee got into the Goken stance. "I am happy to be your opponent."

Gaara remained silent.

"Hajime!"

Lee charged at Gaara. "Konoha Senpu!" As he went for a kick, sand rose in front of Gaara and blocked the kick. Lee then started running circles around Gaara, trying to hit him, only to always hit sand. The sand then tried to engulf Lee, who started rolling and flipping to dodge. During that entire time, Gaara never moved an inch.

* * *

"Why doesn't Lee use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu? Taijutsu can't make a dent." Sakura wondered.

"It's not that Lee doesn't use them, it's that he _can't _use them." Guy said. "Lee has no talent in Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. When I met him, He had no sense in anything. No talent at all."

* * *

Sand shot towards Lee again. He tried to jump over, but his legs were caught and he was thrown on a wall. It tried catching him again, only for Lee to roll away and jumping everywhere to dodge.

"Lee! Take them off!" Guy said.

"But, Guy-sensei, I thought I could only take them off to protect many precious people." Lee said.

"I'll make an exception!" Guy said.

Lee started grinning and laughing joyfully as he removed weights from underneath his leg-warmers.

"What an old-fashined training method." Kakashi said.

"And yet, it's very effective." Naruto said. "A ninja looks underneath the underneath. I bet the weights are much heavier than they look."

"And you'd be winning the lottery with that bet, Naruto-kun." Guy said.

As Guy said this, Lee let go of the weights. When they fell to the floor, there weren't thuds...there were small explosions that created small craters, to everyone's shock.

"Isn't that taking it a bit far, Guy?" Kakashi asked.

"Go, Lee!" Guy encouraged.

This time, when Lee attacked, the sand barely managed to block his hits. Gaara himself couldn't follow Lee's movement.

"_I'll have to try that when I get back to the castle."_ Naruto thought.

After a lot of barely-blocked hits, Lee jumped above Gaara and axe-kicked him on the head. Gaara then tried to engulf Lee with sand, only for the Green Beast to run around and punch Gaara in the face.

Once Gaara got up, his face crumbled, similarly to Karasu disguised as Kankuro. He had sand covering his skin the whole time. When Gaara looked up, he had a psychotic look on his face. The sand then started covering him again, hiding his psychotic face behind a calm one.

Lee looked at Guy with a specific message on his face. Guy nodded. Lee unwrapped the bandages around his hands. He then started running around Gaara before kicking him on the chin, sending him in the air. But, because of the sand armor's weight, he wasn't very high. Lee jumped and continuously kicked Gaara higher up in the air.

Guy closed his eyes and prayed that Lee would finish the battle with this move. As this happened, Lee winced at the strain the technique already did to his body. He then wrapped his bandages around Gaara and grabbed him before spinning around as they were falling.

"Omote Renge!" Lee called out.

Both crashed into the floor, making a crater and a lot of smoke.

Lee jumped out of the crater, panting, as he looked at Gaara, whose entire body was cracked.

Pieces of the sand armor fell inside, revealing that the armor was hollow.

* * *

"When did he escape?" Guy asked, wide-eyed.

"When you closed your eyes and prayed." Kakashi answered.

"Lee winced at that very moment, giving Gaara an opportunity." Naruto explained.

* * *

Gaara appeared behind Lee, chuckling. He sent his sand at Lee, who tried blocking but was knocked back. This repeated itself a couple more times.

"Why isn't Lee dodging?" Sakura asked.

"The Omote Renge puts a strain on the body. He can barely move." Guy answered.

* * *

Gaara sent his sand at Lee once more, only for Lee to start dodging after finally regaining some speed.

* * *

"How is Lee healed from the strain?" Sakura wondered.

"Because, in Konoha, the Lotus blooms twice." Guy answered, shocking Kakashi.

"You didn't..." Kakashi realized.

"I did." Guy answered.

"To teach the boy how to open the Eight Gates and the Ura Renge... How many Gates can he open!?"

"Five Gates."

"What are those Eight Gates and the Ura Renge?" Sakura asked.

"The Eight Gates Manipulation is a preparation of taking off limiters to use the Ura Renge." Guy explained.

"In the Chakra system, there are eight gates in each part of the body: the Gate of Opening, the Gate of Healing, the Gate of Life, the Gate of Pain, the Gate of Limit, the Gate of View, the Gate of Wonder and the Gate of Death. These areas have the greatest concentration of chakra in the body. They constantly controls the chakra that flows in one's body. The Lotus unfastens those controls with force and grants the user more than ten times more power." Kakashi explained.

"Omote Renge opens the First Gate. It unfastens the control of the brain and enables the user to use their muscles at their limits." Guy said.

"And the Ura Renge?" Sakura asked.

"It opens the Second Gate and forcefully increases one's strength. After opening the Third Gate, the Ura Renge is carried out." Guy answered.

"But if the Omote Renge strained his body so much..." Sakura trailed off.

"Indeed. By opening all Eight Gates, you gain temporary power surpassing a Hokage..."

"At the cost of the user's life, if the name of the Eighth Gate is anything to go by." Naruto commented, to Sakura's horror.

Kakashi nodded before turning to Guy. "I have no intentions of prying into what that boy is to you and I won't tell you to leave personal affairs out of this... But there is such a thing called limit."

"What do you know about him?" Guy asked, looking at Kakashi with piercing eyes. "He has something precious that he must protect and prove to everyone, even at the cost of his life. That is why I wanted to turn him into a man who could hold on to those words. That is all."

* * *

Lee panted as he crossed his arms in front of his face. _"Guy-sensei, it is time for me..."_ His chakra flared as his skin turned red. _"...To protect my Nindo, my ninja way!"_ "Gate of Life, open!"

"He's going to make his move..." Kakashi said.

"Not yet." Guy countered.

Lee crouched, his chakra flaring even more. "Gate of Pain, open!"

Kakashi was awed. "This isn't the result of hard work alone. Is he a genius as well?"

Lee charged at Gaara, with greater speed than before, and kicked him in the chin to send him in the air. Lee appeared over Gaara and punched him, sending him backwards, before appearing behind him and punching him again. This went on as seemingly never-ending aerial combo.

"Gate of Limit, open!" Lee called out. He then punched Gaara in the gut, attaching his bandages to Gaara's scarf. Before Gaara could fall on the floor, Lee pulled the bandages. As Gaara rose into the air, Lee gave a powerful punch _and_ kick to the gut, sending Gaara to the floor. "Ura Renge!"

Gaara's gourd turned into sand as he crashed.

Lee fell, his skin returning to its normal shade.

When the dust dissipated, Gaara was revealed.

The sand had cushioned his fall, even if it was slight. He raised his hand towards Lee, making sand head towards him.

Lee couldn't get up. He could barely crawl.

The sand grabbed his left leg and arm.

"Sabaku Kyu!" Gaara said, closing his fist.

Lee cried out in pain as his left limbs were crushed before falling unconscious.

More sand rushed towards Lee.

"Die!" Gaara demanded.

Before the sand could engulf Lee, Guy stepped in and repelled the sand.

"Why...?" Gaara asked. "Why did you help him?"

"He's an important student that I love." Guy answered.

Gaara got up, the sand returning as his reformed gourd, and walked away, knowing he had won the moment Guy stepped in. He didn't feel like continuing.

Hayate was about to announce the winner, but something surprised him...

Lee was up.

He was standing on his right leg and had gotten into the Goken stance. His face was low enough that his eyes were shadowed.

"Lee..." Guy said as he approached his student. "Stop it. It's over. You shouldn't..." He stopped himself when he noticed something.

Lee's eyes were glazed over.

"Even unconscious, he stands up to fight." Naruto said with a voice filled with respect. Lee's determination...

...was worthy of even the greatest of Belmonts.

Guy was crying in pride for his student as he hugged him.

"Winner: Gaara." Despite the moment he said it, Hayate's tone did not break the moment.

The medics ran towards Lee as Guy let him down on the floor. They inspected his body to see the damages. One of them stood up and led Guy away to talk to him as the other two placed Lee on the stretcher and took him away.

The one medic told Guy that Lee's bones are fractured in multiple places and his muscles were torn up. He could recover...but his body may never handle shinobi life again.

The Jonin took it hard. He was shaking, trying to hold back his tears.

Once the atmosphere calmed down, it was time for the final match...

...Choji against Dosu.

"Hajime."

Choji used Baika no Jutsu to expand his body size and hide his ears inside his body and used Nikudan Sensha try and roll over Dosu, who kept dodging until Choji crashed into a wall. Dosu then punched Choji but, due to the latter's expanded state, it was ineffective.

"My ears are covered! You can't get me like that!"

"So you say." Dosu said before flicking his gauntlet. The sound echoed through Choji's body and rendered him unconscious. "More than 70% of the human body is made of water, which is quite the sound transmitter. In other words, your whole body is like one big ear."

"Winner: Dosu Kinuta. This concludes the preliminary matches."

* * *

The winners of each match stepped up to Hayate.

"To those who have made it to the Main matches of the third exam... All but one of you are here, so congratulations." Hayate said.

"_Including Sasuke, who isn't present at the moment, there are 6 participants in Konoha, 3 in suna and 1 from Oto."_ Hiruzen thought as he looked at the Konoha winners: Naruto, Neji, Ino, Shikamaru and Shino. "I will now explain the main matches of the third exam. They will be shown in public. We wish for all of you to show off your abilities as your country's representative power. Therefore, to let you train and create new tactics, the third exam will be in one month. After all, we do have to prepare for everyone's arrival. Announce to the feudal lords and head ninja of individual countries that the preliminary exams have ended. Time is needed to gather everyone for the main matches. Each of you will randomly pick a number inside the box Anko is holding."

"Everyone, take turns." Anko said as she walked to each participant.

After everyone picked a number, Ibiki asked to say aloud.

"9." Dosu said.

"1." Naruto said.

"8." Temari said.

"5." Kankuro said.

"3." Gaara said.

"7." Shikamaru said.

"2." Neji said.

"6." Shino said.

"10." Ino said.

"That leaves Sasuke Uchiha with 4." Ibiki said as he wrote something on a notepad.

"We will now tell you the match ups for the third exam. Ibiki."

"Yes." Ibiki showed a tournament-style drawing.

Match 1: Naruto Uzumaki vs Neji Hyuuga.

Match 2: Sabaku no Gaara vs Sasuke Uchiha.

Match 3: Kankuro vs Shino Aburame.

Match 4: Shikamaru Nara vs Temari.

Match 5: Dosu Kinuta vs Ino Yamanaka.

"If it's a tournament, does it mean only one of us can become Chunin?" Shikamaru asked.

"That's not how it is." Hiruzen said. "There will be judges, such as myself, the Kazekage, as well as the feudal lords and head ninja of other countries, who will be potential clients. They will grade you and if you are qualified to be Chunin, even if you lose in the first round, you will become Chunin."

"That means everyone here can become Chunin?" Temari asked.

"Yes, as well as nobody." The Hokage answered. "The more matches you fight, the more chances you have of showing off your skills. That is all. See you all next month."

Before Naruto could leave, however, the Hokage asked to speak to him.

"Is there a problem, Old Man?" Naruto asked.

"I was simply wondering when, accurately, you started being able to use those chains."

"About after that Orochimaru guy struck me in the gut with the...Gogyo Fuin, I think he called it." He lied.

"_As I thought. Kushina restrained the Kyuubi with her chains for years, so of course the fox would try to block the ability. Now that he can use them, though, it shouldn't be a problem."_ The old man thought. "The Gogyo Fuin? Such a seal disrupts the chakra control of the victim. Show me the seal, Naruto-kun, I will remove it."

"You will? Thanks, Old Man." Naruto said, raising his shirt to reveal the seal.

Hiruzen braced his hand the same way Orochimaru did. "Gogyo Kaiin!" He said, hitting the seal.

Naruto coughed a little at the blow. "Thanks, Old Man." Naruto repeated.

"You're welcome, Naruto-kun. Now, off you go. You have training to do."

Naruto left and, the moment he was alone, disappeared in a shadow to return to the castle.

**And there we go, another chapter! Yes, Naruto will use training weights, BUT only during pre-shippuden. I wanted to add an intimidation factor against Naruto's enemies.**


	5. Chapter 5: Finals and Invasion

**ultima-owner: Thank you**

**madmanmark666: Just look up the souls in Aria of Sorrow. Any non-chakra abilities will mostly be those. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 5: Chunin finals and Invasion**

**Chunin exam stage**

It was finally time. The seats were full of people. The Hokage and Kazekage were at their own booth. And Naruto had just arrived. And his new appearance surprised everyone.

He was now a few inches taller than Neji. He was wearing black Anbu pants and a black shirt, along with a black version of Soma Cruz's trench coat.

When he arrived, the first thing he noticed was that Sasuke and Dosu hadn't arrived yet.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to Konoha's Chunin Exams today. We will now begin the main matches with those that have passed the preliminaries. Please, enjoy the matches." The Hokage announced, making the public cheer.

"There are some things that need to be clarified." Genma Shiranui, the new proctor, said. He pulled out a new tournament list.

Dosu was no longer on it, to Ino's surprise and relief. It meant that she would face the winner of Shikamaru and Temari's match

"Sasuke isn't here yet." Naruto commented.

"If he isn't here in time for his own match, he will be disqualified." Genma said as he pocketed the list. "Anyways, despite the different arena, it's just the same as in the preliminaries. The match ends if someone dies or gives up. But if I declare the match over, I will stop it. Now, the first match is Naruto Uzumaki vs Neji Hyuuga. The rest of you, head to the waiting room." All the participants, minus Naruto and Neji, left the arena.

* * *

**In the seats**

"Let's hope Naruto can kick Neji's ass after everything that bastard said to you." Kiba said to Hinata.

"_Naruto-kun..."_ Hinata thought.

"Naruto has a bad opponent." Kotetsu said to his partner, Izumo, which Hinata and Kiba heard. "He can't beat someone from the Hyuuga clan."

"_I thought I'd win against him, but he was in control of the entire fight."_ Kiba thought.

* * *

Back in the arena, Naruto and Neji took their positions.

Neji activated his Byakugan. _"His eyes are disinterested... Does he think that I am not worth his time? That he is superior to me?" _Naruto's eyes greatly insulted Neji.

"Hajime!" Genma announced.

* * *

"Watch closely, Hanabi." Hiashi Hyuuga, Hinata's father, said to Hinata's little sister, Hanabi. "The Hyuuga Kekkei Genkai is strong in Neji."

"Yes, father." A little girl of Konohamaru's age said.

* * *

Naruto unsheathed Muramasa as Neji slowly walked closer to him.

"You would fight me at close range?" Neji asked. "You cannot defeat a Hyuuga this way. You cannot defeat me, period. I am destined to win."

"What do you know about destiny?" Naruto asked. "All I see is a guy who thinks he can figure everyone out with a glance. Let's see if you can figure me out." He said as he charged.

Neji braced himself and dodged Naruto's stab. He then ducked a swipe, only to receive a surprisingly fast kick to the face, sending him backwards.

"_Is he holding his speed back?" _Neji wondered as he got back up.

"You didn't dodge that one? What's the point of having 'all-seeing eyes' if you can't keep up?" Naruto taunted.

"You merely took me by surprise." Neji said as he got back in his Taijutsu stance. "I won't be lenient anymore."

"'Lenient'? So you underestimated me, like Kiba did? You do know what happened in my fight against him, right? You better take me seriously, or the same thing will happen here."

Neji scoffed. "You may have dominated an Inuzuka in Taijutsu, but not even an Inuzuka would face a Hyuuga in Taijutsu."

"How about you back up that claim? Right now, I'm disappointed in your performance." Naruto said as he charged again.

Neji obliged by dodging swipe after swipe of Naruto's katana and tried to hit a Tenketsu on Naruto's shoulder, only for Naruto to dodge with a backdash.

"You cannot win against me." Neji said. "A person's talent is determined at birth. _Everything_ is predetermined at birth."

Naruto scoffed. "If you truly believe such things, then you are a greater fool than I thought. You seem to fail to realize that people do whatever they desire, that people have free will. Every Kage became Kage through their hard work, not because they were destined to become one at birth. Life wouldn't be worth living if everything was already written."

"You are the fool if you truly believe hard work is the answer." Neji said.

"...You are pathetic." Naruto said. "I will show my hard work."

He then took off his trench coat and threw it on the ground. It made a louder thud than expected.

"A weighted coat?" Neji wondered before his eyes widened.

Naruto was behind him and had kicked him, sending him to the ground.

"Well? Where's your destined victory?" Naruto asked.

Neji got up and was immediately punched in the gut, making him caught blood. Naruto was then running circles around Neji as he attacked him with his sword, making many cuts on his opponent.

Neji then started spinning around. "Hakkesho Kaiten!" A spinning barrier of chakra appeared around him and hit Naruto, sending him backwards.

* * *

"_What!? The knowledge of Kaiten isn't accessible to the Branch Family!"_ Hiashi thought. _"Did he recreate the Jutsu by himself?"_

* * *

"This is it." Neji said. "You are within the range of my divination!" Neji said as he got in a different stance. "Jukenko: Hakke Rokujuyon Sho!"

He charged and tried to strike twice at Naruto, who disappeared and reappeared a few steps away. "Nii Sho!" Then 4 more times, only for the same thing to happen. "Yon Sho!" Then attacked twice as much as the last time until... "Rokujuyon Sho!" He tried to palm Naruto right on the torso, only for the same dodge to happen.

* * *

"_Despite missing, every movement was made with precision." _Hiashi thought. _"Hizashi, if only you had been the one born first."_

* * *

"How did you keep dodging!?" Neji demanded.

"Now, now, Neji. A ninja doesn't reveal his secrets, even to an ally." Naruto said.

He then charged at Neji with even greater speed than before and gave him a nasty uppercut, sending him in the air. A Kage Bunshin appeared from the trees on the edge of the arena, jumped up to Neji and axe-kicked on the head, sending him back to the ground.

Neji tried to get up, but couldn't. Naruto's earlier assault had already beaten him up. Now, he couldn't keep up anymore.

"I wouldn't even be this fast if I hadn't seen the results of weight-training from Lee." Naruto admitted. "My hard work, and his own, took your 'destined victory' from you."

"I-Indeed." Neji couldn't deny it anymore. Destiny was changed. Or perhaps it never had a grip in the first place.

"Winner: Naruto Uzumaki." Genma announced.

* * *

"_Interesting." _Kabuto, disguised as a ANBU member, thought. _"You surprise me, Naruto-kun."_

"_The Kyuubi brat's growth is frightening."_ Orochimaru, disguised as the Kazekage, thought. _"But it will only make Sasuke-kun feel more insecure, bringing him closer to me."_

The public applauded and cheered for Naruto, who had picked up his trench coat and was heading to the waiting room as the medics took Neji away.

* * *

Several minutes later, Sasuke was still nowhere to be found. The public was getting impatient.

"What's that guy doing?" Shikamaru wondered. "Is he not coming?"

"He wouldn't miss this opportunity." Naruto said. "I bet he went to Kakashi for training, which means they'll be here at the last possible second."

* * *

"I have no choice." Hiruzen sighed. "Sasuke Uchiha is disqualified."

"Disqualified?" The 'Kazekage' asked. "A lot of people came here to see this specific fight. Might I suggest delaying it until the other fights of the first round are over?"

"You bring a good point, Kazekage-dono." Hiruzen admitted before turning to his bodyguard, Raido Namiashi. "Tell the proctor."

"Hai." Raido said before using the Shunshin to reach Genma.

* * *

"I understand." Genma said. Raido left after giving the instructions. Genma turned to the public. "Ladies and gentlemen... We have a participant that hasn't arrived yet, so his match will be delayed until the end of the first round. Kankuro and Shino Aburame, step up."

"_I can't show Karasu's hidden weapons just yet."_ Kankuro thought. "Proctor! I give up for my match!"

"_There's something going on." _Naruto thought as the crowd became upset. _"Kankuro has known for a full month that Shino was his opponent, and gives up just before his match? Discretion is not his strong suit." _Naruto looked at Shikamaru, Shino and Ino and whispered. "Save some of your chakra. There's something not right with his timing of giving up."

Shikamaru and Shino nodded. It was obvious to them too.

Ino wasn't completely sure of what Naruto meant, but headed his advice.

Temari pulled out her fan and used it to float down to the arena. "It should be my turn now, right?" She asked.

"Well, someone's enthusiastic." Genma commented. "Shikamaru Nara, step up."

"Troublesome." Shikamaru said. "Maybe I should..."

Ino pushed him down the railway. "You are not giving up, Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru crashed down on the ground. _"Troublesome blonde. These people want Sasuke's fight, not mine. What's the point of fighting if no one expects anything from the fight?"_

Temari had grown tired of Shikamaru lying on the ground and charged.

"Hey! I didn't say to start!" Genma called out, but he was ignored.

Temari jumped and smashed her folded fan right where Shikamaru was, making a big cloud of dust. When the dust was gone, Shikamaru wasn't on the targeted spot.

"I don't care if I don't become Chunin..." Shikamaru, who used two kunai to stand parallel to the wall, whispered to himself. "But, as a guy, I can't lose to a girl. I guess I have to fight."

Temari clearly heard him and scowled. She lifted her fan, completely unfolded it and swung it to attack Shikamaru with wind.

Shikamaru dodged, however, and landed on a tree. _"Although a guy can't really hit a girl, I don't want to get hit either."_

"_This guy uses shadows as his weapon."_ Temari thought. _"He's trying to lure me to the trees, where there are a lot of shadows... But that won't happen!"_

"_Why am I the only one who has to fight a girl?" _Shikamaru lamented. _"Not to mention that, if I win, I'm fighting Ino next. This entire thing is such a drag."_

He then started watching the clouds, envying their freedom. If only the ninja life was as fun as he had first thought.

"Ninpo: Kamaitachi!" Temari called out as she swung her fan once more. The trees in front of her were damaged as another cloud of dust spread around the area.

A shadow crawled out of the cloud and went towards Temari, who started backing away. The shadow stopped a few inches in front of her. The moment the shadow retracted, Temari folded her fan and drew a line.

"I see." She said. "There's a limit to how far you can stretch, shrink and transform your shadow. No matter how much you can transform or stretch your shadow, you can only stretch it as much as it's surfaced area."

"Quite right." Shikamaru said.

"_15 meters and 32 centimeters."_ Temari thought, looking at the distance between Shikamaru and the line she drew. She unfolded her fan and attacked Shikamaru once more.

Shikamaru hid behind a tree. How could he defeat her?

As he shifted his body, he almost tripped himself. He looked at his foot, he saw a hole big enough for a person to crawl into.

"_What is that doing there?"_ He wondered to himself. He leaned his head to the tree's side to look at the trees behind Temari. _"Naruto's Kage Bunshin was over there, so how-" _He stopped his train of thought before leaning to the other side of the tree and looked up at Naruto, who was looking at him with a smirk. _"__You troublesome blond. You planned this? I can definitely see Shino's Kikaichu also using that tunnel."_

Shikamaru pulled out a kunai and took off his jacket. He knew just how to bring Temari closer to the other hole.

When the winds stopped, she didn't know where the Nara was hiding.

"You can't hide forever!" She said as she swung her fan once.

In the midst of the cloud of smoke, a kunai was shot towards her, which she dodged. She then saw a shadow crawling towards her, but though it wouldn't reach her. She quickly realized her mistake and jumped away. The shadow went beyond the line, but didn't reach her.

Just as she thought she figured him out.

"Temari! Above you!" Kankuro called out.

Temari immediately looked up and saw a kunai using a jacket as a parachute. Her eyes widened as she looked back down. A shadow was forming. She quickly started backing away as Shikamaru's shadow started stretching further.

She eventually got far enough that the shadow stopped stretching and the parachute went down, making the shadow retract to the earlier limit.

Temari planted her fan in front of her and prepared herself. Just as she was about to create a clone for distraction, her body stopped by itself.

"Kagemane no Jutsu successful." Shikamaru said.

"H-How!? It couldn't reach me before!" Temari demanded.

Shikamaru smirked as he turned his head to the side, making Temari do the same."See for yourself." He said.

Temari looked behind herself and her eyes widened. The shadow stretched to trees behind her.

"There's a hole behind each of us." Shikamaru said. "When I found mine, I was confused, considering the only other fight that happened was Naruto and Neji's. That's when I realized that the Kage Bunshin made a tunnel." He smirked to himself. "This guy... I could also see Shino use the holes. Kankuro's chances of hiding in the trees is very high, because of his puppeteer mindset, and Shino's bugs would have caught him off-guard with the tunnel."

"_What!? __So one foresaw a fight and planned around it while the other took advantage of the plan? What are these guys?"_ Temari wondered.

* * *

Ino looked at Naruto in awe while Shino raised an eyebrow. Kankuro's hands were shaking against the railing. He realized that, if he had fought Shino, he would have lost.

Naruto chuckled. "At least one of you got to make use of it."

* * *

Shikamaru and, by shadow possession, Temari walked to the middle of the arena. Shikamaru then raised his right arm, making Temari do the same, and sighed. "I can't go on, I'm running out of chakra. I give up." He announced, making everyone stop to register what he just said. He immediately retracted the shadow to save as much chakra as possible for later. "I had thought of so many ways to fight you, too..."

"_What a weird kid."_ Genma thought. "Winner: Temari."

"I'm tired." Shikamaru said.

* * *

"He definitely has the leadership quality of a Chunin." Izumo said.

"Indeed." Kotetsu agreed. "He understood that he had to protect himself and his future squad from danger. That's something the Hyuuga boy failed in."

"And Naruto?" Izumo asked.

"I was hesitant at first." Kotetsu admitted. "He dominated the whole fight, overwhelming Neji while avoiding every strike. From a certain perspective, it's like a hunter-nin killing his target by attacking when his guard is down. But you can't become Chunin by charging head-on. Of course, the way his tunnel helped Shikamaru, and would have helped Shino, shows that he can plan beyond a single fight. I say he has great chances."

Izumo agreed.

* * *

Outside of the arena, two Konoha-nin were guarding the entrance as they saw Lee and Guy approach.

"Welcome, you two." The first one said.

"Hurry to the stage." The second one said. "Unfortunately, most of the first round matches are over, with only the Uchiha's fight left.

Lee looked shocked. "What of the fight between Naruto and Neji?" He asked.

"It was rather impressive." The first one said. "Especially since Neji barely landed a scratch on Naruto."

That shocked both of them. But Lee was happy that Neji was finally shown that natural talent wasn't everything.

* * *

The public was finally pumped. It was Sasuke's fight now. No more delays.

At the last possible second, Kakashi and Sasuke appeared in the arena.

* * *

"What did I tell you?" Naruto smirked at Ino and Shikamaru. "The people's impatience was exactly what my teammates felt about Kakashi always being 3 hours late."

Shikamaru looked at Naruto with a raised eyebrow. "Your teammates? Not you?" He asked.

"After the first time, I pretty much knew he'd be late again. I haven't been wrong yet." Naruto said as he looked at Sasuke's new look.

Instead of his usual navy-blue, short-sleeved shirt and white shorts, Sasuke now wore a black, one-pieced version of his previous outfit. He had his left arm wrapped in armbands and belts. His legs were also wrapped in bands. His frontal bangs also lengthened to his chin.

* * *

"Sorry we're late." Kakashi said.

"Name?" Genma asked, even though he knew.

Sasuke turned to Genma. "Sasuke Uchiha."

The crowd cheered loudly.

"You're just in time." Genma said. "Be glad the Hokage and Kazekage decided to put your match at the end of the first round, otherwise you'd be disqualified by now."

Kakashi thanked Genma and went up to the seats.

Naruto left the waiting room to join his sensei and female teammate.

* * *

"You're really pushing your luck, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said as he approached the group.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at Naruto's new look but eye-smiled. "Naruto, where were you this entire month?"

"Training." Naruto said.

"By yourself? I had asked Ebisu to train you for the month, but we never found you."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at his sensei. "Ebisu? Really?"

"You know him?"

"As the pathetic teacher who told the Sandaime's grandson that his teachings are the shortcuts to becoming Hokage." Naruto said.

"Ebisu has taught many Hokage candidates."

"And how many of them became Hokage?" Naruto asked, receiving no answer.

"Naruto-kun." He heard Lee call out to him.

"Hey Lee." Naruto greeted. "I really should thank you."

Lee, Guy and Kakashi blinked in confusion. "Thank me?" Lee asked.

Naruto nodded as he gestured to his clothes. "This trench coat has weights. I started doing this kind of training after seeing your fight against Gaara. My new speed really helped against Neji. My victory was not only thanks of my hard work, but also thanks to your own, Lee."

Lee started crying manly tears. "Naruto-kun..."

Guy started crying his own share of manly tears. "Oh! Youth is so magnificent!"

Naruto turned to Kakashi. "What's the reason for being late this time?" He asked.

"I just wanted to give Sasuke a little more time to train." Kakashi answered.

Naruto's eyebrow rose. "A legitimate answer from you... That's a first."

"Kakashi-sensei..." Sakura called out. "There was a bruise on Sasuke's neck..."

"Don't worry about that anymore." Kakashi eye-smiled.

That seemed to cheer her up.

The public then started cheering.

"It's about to start." Naruto said. "Let's see what kind of training my self-proclaimed rival went through."

"Do you not see Sasuke as your rival?" Kakashi asked.

"He sees me as one because I defeated an enemy that he couldn't." Naruto said.

Kakashi patted Naruto's shoulder. "I know it's hard to be reminded of your first kill." He said.

"I've managed after the beginning." Naruto said, inwardly smirking.

* * *

Sasuke and Gaara got into position.

"The rules are the same as in the preliminaries." Genma explained to Sasuke. "You should know what stops a match."

"I do." Sasuke said.

"Then you two are ready. Hajime!" Genma said as he jumped away.

Gaara's sand started pouring out of the gourd before he got a headache.

"Don't get so mad at me, mother..." Gaara muttered. "The blood of those earlier fools was foul. This time, the blood will be much better."

Sasuke jumped away and threw a couple of shuriken at Gaara, but the sand blocked the projectiles and created a Suna Bunshin. As Sasuke charged, Suna Gaara tried to shoot sand at him, making the Uchiha jump up in the air. Suna Gaara threw the earlier shuriken back to Sasuke, who threw more shuriken to deflect them. Sasuke then hit Suna Gaara a couple of times to destroy it before going for the real Gaara, whose sand rose to block a punch. Before the fist hit the sand, however, Sasuke disappeared through sheer speed, shocking everyone, before reappearing behind Gaara.

"_He's fast!" _Gaara thought as he remembered his fight with Lee. _"Just like the other one."_

Sasuke landed a punch straight to Gaara's face, sending Gaara backwards on the ground.

Sasuke then positioned himself in a slightly different Goken, the real difference was that his fingers were slightly curled.

* * *

"So, you taught Sasuke how to use the Goken style?" Naruto asked.

"He needed the speed to fight Gaara." Kakashi said.

* * *

Sasuke then charged and started dodging the sand before kicking Gaara on the torso, sending him to the ground.

When Gaara got up, Sasuke charged again and ran circles around Gaara before sliding underneath the skyward sand and kicked Gaara in the face. Sasuke then pulled on Gaara's leather band and scarf before kneeing him in the gut before jumping away.

* * *

"What kind of training did you make him go through to make him achieve this speed in a month?" Guy asked.

"It's just like Naruto said earlier: I had Sasuke picture Lee's movement to train in the Goken."

"Taijutsu alone won't be enough." Lee muttered. He knew that very well.

* * *

Gaara made a handsign and the sand turned into a sphere around him.

Sasuke charged to punch the sphere, but had to stop to prevent getting impaled by sand spikes. A drop of blood went down his face, showing he had barely dodged a spike. He jumped away, making the spikes retract. A Sand Eye then appeared to observe Sasuke. Sasuke charged, but quickly had to dodge spike after spike.

* * *

"You did teach him something other than Taijutsu, right?" Naruto asked.

"Of course." Kakashi eye-smiled.

* * *

Sasuke unbuckled the arm-belt and jumped backwards until he was standing high on the wall. He then started making handsigns. Lightning chakra gathered across his palm.

* * *

Guy's eyes widened. "You taught him..."

"That's right. That's the main reason I had Sasuke train in the Goken."

* * *

Sasuke started running down the wall and charged towards the sand sphere.

* * *

"It sounds like chirping birds." Naruto commented.

"That's where the Jutsu get its name from." Guy said. "It's Kakashi's original Jutsu: Chidori: The One Thousand Birds. It's an Assassination Jutsu."

* * *

Sasuke sidestepped the spikes and thrust the Chidori on the sphere, piercing it.

* * *

"You were reckless to teach him such a Jutsu." Guy told Kakashi.

"You're not the best person to tell me that." Kakashi said before looking at Lee. "Right, Lee?"

"Lee and Sasuke are different." Naruto said, catching the group's attention. "Sasuke's greatest desire is to kill his brother. You taught an Assassination Jutsu to a guy who seeks revenge. Reckless is a massive understatement."

* * *

Back in the arena, Gaara was confused at the feeling of something dripping down his skin. When he realized it, he started freaking out.

"IT'S BLOOD! MY BLOOD!" He said, screaming loudly.

Sasuke tried to pull out his arm, but it was stuck. He reactivated Chidori for a moment, wounding Gaara even further, before being able to pull his arm out. There was a monstrous arm trying to keep a grip on Sasuke's arm, but let go as Sasuke jumped away. The arm retracted into the sphere. The sphere then crumbled and fell, revealing a wounded and bleeding Gaara.

After that, feathers started falling on the stands. Everyone started falling asleep.

* * *

"_Genjutsu..."_ Naruto thought, unfazed. He made a handsign and cancelled the illusion on himself.

There was then an explosion on the Kage block. Konaha's Anbu immediately rushed to their Hokage.

Temari and Kankuro jumped down to the arena to reach Gaara. They grabbed him and escaped while their sensei handled Genma. Sasuke, on Genma's order, chased the Sabaku Siblings.

"Sasuke..." Kakashi said.

"Shall I give chase, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"...Yes." Kakashi bit his finger to draw blood, made a few handsigns and slammed his hand on the floor. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

A small dog appeared. "Yo, Kakashi."

"Pakkun, I need you to lead Naruto and Sakura towards Sasuke." Kakashi said.

"Got it." Pakkun said.

"Naruto, Sakura, be careful. This is an A-rank mission." Kakashi said. "Catching up with Sasuke, who is chasing the trio of Suna."

"Yes sir!" Naruto said.

"Y-Yes!" Sakura said.

Suddenly, an Oto-nin tried to attack Naruto from behind, only for Guy to punch him through the wall.

"And there's our way out." Naruto said. "Thanks Guy-sensei."

Naruto, Sakura and Pakkun jumped through the hole and began chasing Sasuke through Pakkun's sense of smell.

* * *

After several minutes of looking for Sasuke, Pakkun picked up a different smell.

"Hey, you two." He called out. "Increase your speed. We're being followed by two squads of ninja. No wait, nine men total."

Naruto quickly made a Kage Bunshin. "I'll hold them off." The Bunshin said before stopping on the ground.

* * *

A few minutes later, Bunshin Naruto stood in the way of eight of the Oto-nin.

"Hi there." He said.

"You're the brat." The leader of the bunch said, revealing one of Kabuto's Ninja Info Card. "We already have the information on you."

"Is that a fact?" Naruto asked as he used Chakra Chains to restrain the eight nin. He then threw a kunai at one of them, only to be deflect by another kunai thrown by the hiding ninth one. But the Bunshin saw where the projectile came from and summoned more chains to restrain him, bringing him to the ground.

"Good, now I've got all of you." He said before pulling enough shuriken for all of his targets. "Sayonara."

* * *

Naruto received the memories of his Bunshin. He even got the enemies' souls and chakra because of the way Kage Bunshin work. "He got them all." He said.

"Yeah, their smells are no longer approaching." Pakkun said.

They then heard explosions.

"What was that?" Sakura asked.

"Traps for Sasuke, I would imagine." Pakkun said.

"Let's hurry then. He can't handle all three on his own." Naruto said as they sped up.

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi was having a very hard battle. Orochimaru, after discarding his Kazekage disguise, had used the Edo Tensei to bring the Shodai and Nidaime Hokage, Hashirama and Tobirama Senju, back from the dead. He also tried to summon the Yondaime, but Hiruzen managed to prevent that. After a short 2-on-1 battle with his predecessors, Hiruzen had to summon Enma, the Monkey King, to transform into the Adamantine Staff and aid him, only for Orochimaru to pull the Kusanagi, a sword that is said to cut anything. During the battle, Hiruzen managed to destroy parts of Hashirama and Tobirama's bodies, only for said body parts to regenerate. He now knew that there was only one Jutsu that could help him now.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Hiruzen said, creating two clones.

The real Hiruzen then made more handsigns and summoned Shinigami, in Shiki Fuin form.

"_**For me to be summoned again..."**_ Shinigami thought as he saw his new targets. He frowned as he saw that 2 of them were Edo Tensei summons. _**"I will have to ask my lord to get the mask in the shrine, in case someone would try to free the souls."**_

"Orochimaru!" Sarutobi called out. "I will defeat with a Jutsu you do not even know! The same Jutsu the Yondaime used to seal the Kyuubi!"

Orochimaru's eyes widened.

Hiruzen's clones charged and grabbed his predecessors, holding them still. Shinigami's left hand pierced Hiruzen's soul, grabbing Hashirama's soul and Tobirama's soul through the Bunshin. He then began to pull the souls out the bodies.

"Sorry, Sarutobi." Hashirama said.

"We really made things hard for you, didn't we Saru?" Tobirama said. Saru...Monkey. A nickname both of his predecessors used on him quite often.

"Forgive me for doing this, Shodai-sama, Nidaime-sama." When the souls were pulled out and sealed, the bodies crumbled to Kin Tsuchi and Zaku Abumi...the sacrifices used to summon the Hokage.

"You sacrificed your own ninja's lives." Hiruzen said as his clones dispelled, giving him their memories and the souls of his predecessors. "I will seal your soul, monster!"

He then grabbed the Adamantine Staff and charged at Orochimaru. Both started clashing weapons until Hiruzen managed to disarm Orochimaru. Enma tried to grab Orochimaru, only to be restrained by snakes. That was enough time for Hiruzen to approach Orochimaru and grab him for Shinigami, who immediately reached out to grab Orochimaru's soul. Orochimaru then used his chakra to guide Kusanagi and stab Hiruzen in the back, although Enma did catch enough of Kusanagi that it wasn't a full stab.

"Why didn't you dodge?" Orochimaru asked.

"Shiki Fuin... For the Jutsu to be activated and for summoning the Shinigami, I must sacrifice my soul. I won't live beyond this battle, so why dodge?" Hiruzen explained.

"So that is the Shinigami." Orochimaru said as he looked at the deity with horror. Only the one who summoned the Shinigami and the one whose soul is being extracted can see the Shinigami.

More and more of Orochimaru's soul was being pulled out. In the meantime, Shinigami used his right hand to grab his blade and cut the two souls that were already sealed to eat them.

"You will not catch me like this, old geezer!" Orochimaru said as the Kusanagi tried to pierce deeper into Sarutobi. His body's pain weakened Shinigami's grip on Orochimaru's soul.

But Sarutobi wouldn't give up and pulled as much as he could.

"If I cannot pull your entire soul, then I will make sure you never achieve your goal!" With that, Shinigami's hand grabbed the arms of Orochimaru's soul and cut it off, sealing them inside Hiruzen.

Orochimaru's arms were turning to stone.

"You cannot use your hands anymore." Hiruzen said. "No more hands, no more handsigns."

"You old bastard!" Orochimaru cried out. "Give me back my arms!"

"That I cannot, my foolish student. I regret that I couldn't take you the Shinigami's stomach with me." Hiruzen Sarutobi said before passing away.

The four that created the barrier cancelled the barrier and escaped with Orochimaru.

* * *

Sasuke couldn't move. After a small fight with Temari, he had caught up to Kankuro and Gaara. Temari caught up and tried to hold him off once more, but Kankuro did so instead. If it hadn't been for Shino's arrival, Sasuke wouldn't have caught up to Temari and Gaara. But there was a problem. As soon as he caught up, half of Gaara's face and his right arm transformed into a monstrous sand creature. Gaara's sand arm pretty much destroyed any tree Sasuke tried to hide behind and anything that got in his way of finding Sasuke. When Sasuke tried the Chidori, he pierced right through Gaara's sand arm, but it only seemed to make him more bloodthirsty. After that, Gaara's sand made a large tail. When Gaara charged, Sasuke tried Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu, but it didn't seem to have any effect. He then tried another Chidori...with the Cursed Seal. He had wounded Gaara again, but the Seal was putting a strain on his body. He couldn't move.

Just as Gaara was about smash Sasuke, Naruto appeared and kicked Gaara on the untransformed half of his face, sending him flying.

Sakura and Pakkun landed next to Sasuke while Naruto stood between the group and Gaara.

Sakura was mortified that the marks were across Sasuke's skin.

"Naruto Uzumaki..." Gaara growled. "We finally get to fight!"

Gaara charged at Naruto, who jumped away to dodge. Gaara used that opportunity to attack Sasuke. He wouldn't let a single prey escape. But Sakura tried to protect Sasuke, only to be launched to a tree and restrained by sand.

Naruto grabbed Sasuke and jumped away from Gaara, but he had no idea how to free Sakura. Gaara could crush her the moment he tries anything. Pakkun had also jumped away. He was no combat ninken.

"Who are these two to you?" Gaara asked Naruto.

"_Merely nuisances that I have to deal with."_ Naruto thought before saying. "They are my teammates and my friends."

"Friends?" Gaara growled. "Such things are worthless! The only one who should matter to you is yourself!"

"If this is what you believe, then let us fight to see whose belief is the strongest." Naruto said.

"Yes... There really is nothing more to our situation than a fight." Gaara laughed.

Then, the sand started covering the upper half of Gaara's body, giving a fully monstrous face.

"Suna Shuriken!" Gaara called out as he swung both arms, sending shuriken-shaped sand at Naruto, who jumped to dodge.

Naruto created Kage Bunshin all around Gaara and they each pulled out a kunai that had an explosive tag attached to it. Gaara's sand normally blocked and trapped whatever projectiles were thrown at him. He would take advantage of that. Every Naruto threw their kunai. Gaara merely ignored them and let his sand body block them. He never accounted for the explosive tags. Because they all exploded at the same time, he was left stunned and barely able to move, open for attacks.

Naruto and the clones all started beating on Gaara until they sent him down to the ground.

Gaara couldn't believe it, how could this guy have the advantage against him? He couldn't lose.

"I will not lose to you!" Gaara yelled as he transformed once more.

This time, he transformed into the enormous Ichibi no Tanuki, Shukaku.

He had immediately trapped Naruto in sand.

"He'll crush me if I don't act quickly." Naruto said before he activated Kyuubi's chakra and destroyed the sand.

"**What? How have you broken out?"** Gaara asked with a booming voice.** "Doesn't matter, really. You're just full of surprises!"**

Naruto didn't say anything. He simply used his chakra chains to pierce the Shukaku and find Gaara. When the chains went inside Shukaku's head, they held onto Gaara and retracted, dragging him along with them.

Naruto charged, his frontal march further pulling the chains and managed to punch Gaara in the face before the sand could do anything, sending him straight to a tree. Naruto didn't stop there, however, he punched Gaara in the gut, sending him right through the tree and to the ground. Gaara couldn't move anymore. The sand that made Shukaku crumbled and fell.

Gaara looked to the side and saw Naruto walking toward him. His eyes widened. "Stay away from me!" He cried out.

"You and I are both Bijuu vessels, therefore it makes sense that we would be exposed to the similar kinds of hatred." Naruto said, making Gaara's eyes widen. "I was ignored and glared at by the people of Konoha. But I never cared."

"W-What!?" Gaara asked.

"They thought I was the human form of a mountain-tall fox. Why should I listen to what they say? They don't know the real me. I became a ninja because I wanted to. If my actions make them see me differently, great. If not, whatever. I have the people who see me for who I am, and that's all that matters." He was Dracula, Lord of Darkness. The opinions of mere humans mattered little to him.

"Those that see you for who you are?" Gaara repeated to himself. _"Those that care for who he is make him strong? Care... Love... There are people that love him..."_

"Naruto." Sasuke called out as he landed next to Naruto. "The sand released Sakura, which means he's probably out of chakra by now."

Temari and Kankuro landed next to Gaara.

"Don't fight him." Gaara said, surprising his siblings. "You can't beat him. Let's leave."

"All right." Kankuro said as he picked Gaara up and the sand siblings left.

"_Those that care for him, Naruto Uzumaki..."_ Gaara thought before looking at his siblings. "Temari, Kankuro... I'm sorry." He said.

Both siblings were shocked at his words.

"D-Don't worry about it." Kankuro said.

* * *

A few days later, a funeral for the Sandaime Hokage had taken place. Everyone gave their respect to the old leader.

A powerful fire had extinguished for the sake of protecting this village. Even Dracula respected such dedication.

**And that's the Chunin Exams done. There are still several completed chapters to show while I'm working on completing the entire story. Hope you're all enjoying it so far!**


	6. Chapter 6: New Hokage

**ultima-owner: You are absolutely right. But I believe that Castlevania Death would want to keep any souls that become his possessions, hence why he would want Dracula to get the mask to prevent anyone from freeing the souls.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 6: New Hokage**

Naruto was in the Hokage Tower, heading for the Hokage office. Kakashi told him his presence was requested.

It should also be noted that a flak jacket was added to his attire. After the Hokage's funeral, both he and Shikamaru were promoted to Chunin.

When he entered, he saw the Elder Council, who were the late Sandaime's teammates and a third one being his rival, and a tall man with long white hair and a scroll strapped to his lower back.

"Do you know why you are here, Naruto Uzumaki?" Homura, the first male Elder, asked.

"I only know that my presence was requested." Naruto said.

"Then we shall explain." Koharu, the female Elder, said before gesturing to the tall man. "This man is Jiraiya, one of Hiruzen's students. He is going on a mission to find Tsunade Senju to make her become the Godaime Hokage."

"I see." Naruto said. "And where do I fit in this?"

"You _are_ aware of your Jinchuuriki status, are you not?" Homura asked.

"Jinchuuriki, huh? Didn't know there was a term." Naruto muttered to himself before answering the Elders. "Regardless, I am aware of it."

"There's this group called the Akatsuki." Jiraiya said. "If what I found out through my Spy Network is true, they are all S-rank Nuke-nin hunting down the Jinchuuriki. You are in danger without someone powerful enough to face them. And I am the only one powerful enough in this village for now. That's why I'm taking with me for my mission."

"For my protection, huh? Would they truly risk sneaking into the village?" Naruto asked.

"We do not know of what resources they possess." Danzo, the third Elder, said. "That's why we must keep you close to Jiraiya while the village seems weakened because of the reconstructions."

"Makes sense." Naruto admitted.

"Prepare your things, Gaki. We'll be leaving shortly." Jiraiya said.

Naruto nodded and left the room.

* * *

Dracula slipped through a shadow, arrived in throne room.

"Shinigami." He called out.

The deity appeared in front of his lord.

"I found out something interesting. There is a group of Nuke-nin that go by the name Akatsuki..."

"**Ah yes... It was originally created by a man named Yahiko, who was trained by Jiraiya of the Sannin and desired peace. The man has passed away, however."**

"A student of Jiraiya, you say? The Akatsuki, according to Jiraiya, are after the Jinchuuriki. At the right time, I should try to catch their attention and perhaps find a way to...'join' them. The other eight Bijuu would certainly be useful."

"**We should perhaps think of a disguise. If they are after Jinchuuriki, they will know what you look like."**

"And that is where that mask I took at your request will come in handy." Dracula smirked. "They understand the need to hide their identity and, therefore, will not care about it. Now, I must prepare for a mission with Jiraiya and, perhaps, the risk of Akatsuki being after me during the mission."

* * *

Naruto met up with Jiraiya at the gate. During their travel, Jiraiya asked.

"You have a rivalry with the Uchiha, correct?"

"More like he has a rivalry with me, since I've defeated enemies that he couldn't defeat." Naruto answered.

"That is what you told Kakashi, or so he told me." Jiraiya said. "With Sasuke using Kakashi's Chidori, he has an advantage over you. I was thinking of teaching you the Yondaime's Rasengan."

Naruto looked at Jiraiya with a raised eyebrow. With the Yondaime's soul, he could already do the Rasengan, but at least with this, it wouldn't be suspicious that he knew it.

"To keep me on equal footing with Sasuke and to help me defend myself against Akatsuki?" Naruto asked.

"Well, the Jutsu alone won't save you from them, but it will help." Jiraiya said.

They then arrived at a small town, bought a room at an inn and Jiraiya then left to follow a gorgeous woman who had winked at him.

Naruto simply waited in the room. After a while, someone knocked on his door. He certainly wasn't expecting anyone. He made Kage Bunshin and had it open the door while he hid.

Bunshin Naruto opened the door and came face to face with a tall man that had the Sharingan and a Shark man. Both wore black cloaks with red clouds.

"To think this kid has the Kyuubi within him." The Shark man said.

"So there _is_ an organization after the Bijuu." Bunshin Naruto said.

"It is not surprising that you would know, given who has taken you here. Jiraiya must have been the one who told Kakashi about us." The Sharingan user said.

"What have you done to Kakashi-sensei, Itachi Uchiha?" Bunshin Naruto asked.

"So you know who I am? Well, you are Sasuke's teammate, after all. Kakashi is still alive, if that's what you're asking. Now, Naruto Uzumaki, you will be coming with us." Itachi said.

"Sorry, can't do that. I'm on a mission." Bunshin Naruto said nonchalantly.

"Then I'll have to cut off a leg or two." The Shark man said, grabbing the hilt of the massive sword on his back, wrapped in bandages.

"It's been a while..." Itachi said, which stopped his partner. Itachi looked at the end of the hallway. "Sasuke..."

"Itachi Uchiha." Sasuke growled, activating his Kekkei Genkai. He had gone to visit Kakashi, only to find out he had been injured by Itachi, who was looking for Naruto. He then found out Naruto had left the village with a white-haired man and immediately gave chase. Now, he could finally get his revenge.

"The Sharingan..." The Shark man said, looking at Sasuke's eyes. "He also looks like you. Who's this brat?"

"My little brother." Itachi answered.

"I had heard you killed your entire clan." The Shark man told Itachi.

"I'm going to kill you, Itachi!" Sasuke said.

Itachi turned to face Sasuke. "Kisame, keep an eye on Naruto to make sure he doesn't get away."

The Shark man, Kisame, grinned. "No problem."

"I did just like you told me..." Sasuke said to Itachi. "I hated you, I despised you. And just to kill you, I've survived!" Sasuke yelled out as he activated the Chidori and charged toward Itachi.

The wall to the outside exploded as Itachi caught Sasuke's wrist, stopping the Chidori. He then broke Sasuke's wrist.

A cloud of smoke appeared behind Naruto, revealing Jiraiya with an uncounscious woman on his shoulder, the same one that had winked at him.

"Jiraiya doesn't let himself be seduced by women. When you become as great as me, women will be crazy over you." Jiraiya said, posing.

"You're late." Naruto said, making Jiraiya trip over himself.

"The great Jiraiya of the Sannin." Kisame said. "To be able to cancel the Genjutsu on the woman..."

"Shame on you, for putting a woman in a Genjutsu." Jiraiya said as he placed the woman down. "My Spy Network was accurate, then. You're after the Kyuubi sealed inside Naruto."

Sasuke, who was on the floor after Itachi broke his wrist, was shocked to hear that Naruto had the Kyuubi within him.

"Our mission for Akatsuki is to take Naruto with us." Itachi said.

"If you are after the Kyuubi, then surely you must be after the other Bijuu as well." Jiraiya said.

"I will leave that to your imagination." Itachi answered.

"I will get rid of you two to prevent you from taking Naruto." Jiraiya said.

"Itachi is mine..." Sasuke growled as he got up.

"I have no interest in you right now, Sasuke." Itachi said.

"Shut up!" Sasuke yelled as he tried to punch Itachi, who responded by kicking him in the gut the moment he got in range.

"I have lived...for this day!" Sasuke said as he once again charged at Itachi, who blocked Sasuke's punch and backhanded him.

Itachi then approached the downed Sasuke, who got up to attack but was punched in the gut, making him cough blood. Why? Why wasn't he strong enough?

Itachi grabbed Sasuke by the collar, held him against the wall and looked at him in the eyes.

"You are weak." Itachi said. "You do not have enough hatred."

Itachi then placed Sasuke on a Genjutsu, making Sasuke scream in pain and terror.

"How cruel." Kisame grinned. "To use Tsukuyomi on his little brother."

Sasuke stopped screaming and fell uncounscious.

Jiraiya made some handsigns and slammed his hands on the floor, which started changing the entire hallway into flesh. "Ninpo: Gamaguchi Shibari!"

"Are you saying we're in a toad's throat!?" Naruto asked, disgusted. Enough with the insides of animals, damn it!

"A stomach, actually." Jiraiya corrected.

The walls of flesh took Sasuke from Itachi's grip.

"Naruto, stay still. My Jutsu won't hurt you." Jiraiya said. Fire emerged from behind Jraiya and aimed for the Akatsuki members.

Naruto said nothing, deciding to dispel and return to the original, to the trio's shock.

Itachi and Kisame ran away to a dead end.

"Amaterasu!" Itachi said, igniting the wall with a black fire and escaping through the hole, with Kisame following.

Jiraiya pulled out a scroll and sealed the black fire within it. He would study it to find out how they escaped the stomach of a toad that breathes fire.

Jiraiya then cancelled the Jutsu, returning the walls to their original state.

Naruto ran out of the room, caught Sasuke and placed him down.

"Good job using a Kage Bunshin as bait." Jiraiya praised.

"I wasn't expecting anyone and you certainly wouldn't knock on the door of the room you paid for." Naruto explained.

Suddenly, Guy appeared and kicked Jiraiya in the face, thinking he was an enemy. Of course, when he saw who he hit, he quickly realized his mistake.

Jiraiya ignored Guy's apologies and told him to take Sasuke back to Konoha and to a medical squad. He told Guy that Sasuke had a broken wrist and ribs as well assuffering a psychological attack.

* * *

The group went outside the town and was about to go there separate ways.

"Good luck in your search for Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama, Naruto-kun." Guy said, with Sasuke on his shoulder. "Naruto-kun, your Flames of Youth are formidable. I have a gift for such spirit." Guy said before pulling a green spandex like his own and gave it to Naruto, to Jiraiya's horror. Guy then left to bring Sasuke back to Konoha.

"Please tell me..." Jiraiya started talking when Guy was out of hearing distance.

"Of course not." Naruto interrupted. "I respect the man's strength and determination, but we have different fashion senses."

Jiraiya sighed in relief.

* * *

"So what kind of woman is Tsunade?" Naruto asked Jiraiya as they headed to the next town.

"She's quite unpleasant. She likes to gamble a lot, despite her horrendous luck that gave her the nickname 'Legendary Sucker', and is well-known throughout the countries." Jiraiya said.

"Are you saying she's famous for having rotten gambling luck?" Naruto asked.

"Absolutely." Jiraiya nodded. "But even her reputation doesn't make her easy to find. If there's one thing she hates more than losing a bet, it's getting older. While she is in her fifties, like me, she uses a unique Henge Jutsu that makes her look younger. She changes her appearance to escape the debt collectors."

The duo then arrived in a town that was in the middle of some festivities.

"Walk around town a little, while I go buy the material needed for training." Jiraiya said. "The Rasengan will require specific tools to train and I can easily find them here."

Naruto accepted the answer and walked around town.

* * *

After a while, he heard Jiraiya's laugh inside a building. He entered the building and found the Sage drinking sake while sitting next to two gorgeous women.

"Oh, Naruto. Did you enjoy the festival already?" Jiraiya asked.

"The stands looked fun. But you certainly seem to have more fun." Naruto deadpanned.

"Of course!" Jiraiya said as the women giggled.

"Hey, idiots, make way for Bro!" A voice called out. They turned to see two men in business suits walking in.

"Quiet down, you're scaring the ladies." Jiraiya said.

"How dare you!? Bro is a former Chunin of Iwa. He's a ninja who was feared as a legendary Yaminin!"

"Legendary?" Jiraiya snorted.

Bro snarled and charged. Jiraiya quickly created a spiralling blue sphere made of pure chakra and slammed it right in Bro's gut, sending him spiralling to a wall along with his companion.

"Is that the Rasengan?" Naruto asked, despite knowing the answer.

"Exactly." Jiraiya said as he approached the downed duo. "Geez, I even went easy on you guys." He then turned to the stand owner. "Sorry for breaking your stand."

Bro, realizing who Jiraiya was, tried to save himself by giving him money. "Here, for the repairs."

"Why, thank you." Jiraiya said as he took the money, added some extra bills to the pile and gave the money to the stand owner. "I'll also be buying all of your water balloons and normal balloons."

* * *

Later, in the forest outside of the town, Jiraiya gave Naruto a water balloon.

"This is the training tool you mentioned?" Naruto asked.

"That's right." Jiraiya nodded. He then pulled out another balloon. The water inside it started spiralling until the balloon popped. "Chakra exercises like Tree-climbing requires you to focus a certain amount of your chakra under your feet to stick on the tree. Water Walking requires a constant amount of chakra under your feet. For this, you must create a flow with chakra. First, focus chakra in your hand like with the tree-climbing. Then, release a constant amount of chakra like with Water Walking. Finally, you push and rotate the chakra inside the balloon."

"I see. Create a fast enough rotation to pop the balloon." Naruto said.

"That's right." Jiraiya said. "We'll be training until ni-" He stopped talking when he heard the balloon pop.

"Huh, easier than I thought." Naruto said. Of course it was easy. He could already do the Rasengan. "Then again, whenever I train, I have dozens of clones doing chakra exercises while I focus on training my body."

Jiraiya blinked in surprise. "Okay... Let's begin the second step then." He pulled out a rubber ball. "A rubber ball is about 100 times tougher than a water balloon." He handed Naruto the rubber ball. "Now then, I'll be doing some info-" He stopped as he heard a noise: the rubber ball popping.

"B-But the second step requires denser chakra." Jiraiya said.

"I can make chains with my chakra. Denser chakra is not a problem." Naruto said.

Jiraiya did not know about the chains. But now that he did, it made sense. Jiraiya then pulled out a normal balloon and filled it with air before giving it to Naruto.

"All right, Gaki. The first step was rotation, the second step was power. The third step is mixing the two with control."

"You want me to make a Rasengan inside the balloon, but keep the Jutsu stable." Naruto theorized.

"That's exactly it. The goal is to make the Rasengan _without_ popping the balloon."

Naruto held the balloon in his right hand and focused.

There was a moment of silence and Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at Naruto.

Naruto smirked. He held out his left hand and created a perfect yellow Rasengan, to Jiraiya's shock.

"_H-How!? He has his mother's chains, her yellow chakra and he learned and mastered the Rasengan in an instant! He has the talent of both of his parents and then some... Could he be the Child of Prophecy? First Nagato, with his Rinnegan, then Minato and now Naruto."_ Jiraiya thought.

"This is an impressive Jutsu." Naruto said. He held the Rasengan in his hand once before to test the soul's power and it was indeed impressive.

"Impressive." Jiraiya agreed. "And incomplete."

Naruto looked at Jiraiya. "Incomplete?"

Jiraiya nodded. "The Yondaime wanted to add an element to the Rasengan, but passed away before he could ever complete it. Fortunately, I brought this with me." Jiraiya pulled out a piece of paper. "This is paper made from a tree that is grown and fed with chakra. If you focus your chakra on it, different effects will happen. Here, try it."

Naruto took the piece of paper and focused his chakra. The paper split in half.

"Wind, huh? Fortunately, training material is all around us." Jiraiya said, gesturing to the surrounding trees. "The most basic wind chakra exercise is to take a leaf and focus wind chakra on it to split it in half. To do so, you have to grind your chakra against itself to make it thinner, which sharpens it."

Naruto nodded and made dozens of clones to practice this exercises. Jiraiya walked away to do his information gathering.

Naruto smirked. This would be easy. Not only did he have the Kage Bunshin, but he also had Erinys.

* * *

Although Naruto learned all three steps on the same day, it took three weeks for Jiraiya to find out that Tsunade was in Tanzaku Gai. He learned that from a man who Tsunade lost against in gambling.

When they arrived in Tanzaku Gai, Jiraiya asked about Tsunade to any gambling place he saw, but without success of her exact whereabouts.

Eventually, there were people running away, saying they saw a huge snake destroy the castle. Both Konoha-nin knew that Orochimaru was involved, so they hurried to the destroyed castle.

Unfortunately, they were too late. There was nothing to be found.

They kept searching until evening and still found nothing. Jiraiya decided to stop at a bar and grab a bite to eat...and found Tsunade, along with another woman and a pig.

"Tsunade!" Jiraiya called out as he pointed at the blonde woman.

"Jiraiya?" Tsunade said, shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"_THAT'S Tsunade."_ Naruto thought. It was kinda hard to believe a young-looking woman with breasts almost as big as her head, if not just as big, was in her fifties. When Jiraiya said she hid her age with a Transformation Jutsu, he wasn't kidding.

"I finally found you!" Jiraiya said as walked up to Tsunade's table, with Naruto following him.

After a moment of awkward silence, Tsunade sighed. "What a day... Seeing old acquaintances everywhere."

Jiraiya filled Tsunade's glass with sake. "Orochimaru?" He asked. "What did you talk about?

"Nothing much." Tsunade lied. "We just said hello. Now, what do you want from me?" She asked.

"I'll get straight to the point. Tsunade, the village has requested that you become the Godaime Hokage."

Both women, along with the pig, were shocked.

"You must have heard of what happened to Sarutobi-sensei." Jiraiya said.

"Orochimaru may have bragged about it." Tsunade waved off.

"Will you accept the position of Hokage?" Jiraiya asked.

"Absolutely not." Tsunade said. "The title of Hokage is only for those stupid enough to bet their life away so easily."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at that. "Excuse me." Naruto said, getting Tsunade's attention.

"Who's this gaki?" Tsunade asked.

"That's Naruto Uzumaki." Jiraiya said.

"_So he's the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, huh?"_ Tsunade thought. "What do you want, gaki?"

"If your last name is Senju, then you must be related to Shodai and Nidaime Hokage, right?" Naruto asked.

"Respectively, they are my grandfather and grand-uncle." Tsunade answered. "What of it?"

"So not only are you a student of the Sandaime, but you are also related to the Shodai and the Nidaime, and yet you call them all idiots? As an orphan, that rubs me the wrong way."

"What a Gaki like you thinks doesn't matter to me." Tsunade said.

"And what a frail woman says about greater people than her is garbage to me." Naruto countered. Jiraiya took baby steps away from Naruto as tick marks appeared on Tsunade's forehead.

"Frail woman? Garbage? You've got guts to say that to me." Tsunade said. "Let's take this outside." She got up and exited the bar, with Naruto following her.

The rest of the group followed them. Naruto and Tsunade stood in the middle of the street, face to face.

"Despite my looks, I was one of the Sannin." Tsunade said. "There is no need for me to get serious against you. All I need to defeat you is a single finger." She held out her right pointer finger.

"Your loss." Naruto said nonchalantly.

He then summoned his chakra chains to restrain her, to her shock, and charged before punching her in the gut, sending her back.

"_Those chains..."_ Tsunade thought. _"Mito-baa-chan chose Kushina as the next Jinchuuriki because of those chains."_

"Well?" Naruto asked. "Where's that confidence from earlier?"

"You just got lucky, Gaki." Tsunade said.

"Is that right?" Naruto asked before he smirked. "Then, for me, this fight is going better than your entire gambling life."

Tsunade growled at the jab. She charged and was about to flick him on the forehead, only to receive an instant Rasengan to the gut with speed she didn't know he had, further shocking her as she was knocked back. Maybe she shouldn't have held back as much as she did...

"Shall we go on?" Naruto asked, still smirking.

"Jiraiya, are you the one who taught him the Rasengan?" Tsunade asked as she got up.

"He learned and mastered the three steps in less than an hour." Jiraiya answered, shocking Tsunade and her assistant.

"_Is this kid even human?"_ Tsunade wondered. "What about completing it?"

"Started immediately after mastering the Rasengan, which was three weeks ago." Jiraiya said.

"Three weeks, huh?" Tsunade smirked before looking at Naruto. "Oi, Gaki. Let's make a bet."

"The worst gambler in the world wants to make a bet with me?" Naruto asked before shrugging. "I'm game."

"I'll give you one week to add an elemental affinity to the Rasengan. If you can do that, I'll follow you back to Konoha to become Hokage _and_ I'll even give you this." She gestured to the necklace around her neck. "My grandfather's necklace is worth a fortune. But if you can't do it in a week, I'll take all of your money. Deal?"

"If you're sure about this, then it's a deal."

"Tsunade-sama!" Tsunade's assistant called out.

"Calm down, Shizune." Tsunade said as she and Naruto shook hands. The moment they stepped away from each other, Naruto made a Rasengan with four small wind razor blades rotating around the sphere, shocking the women and Jiraiya.

"A ninja must gather information before risking anything." Naruto said. "Thanks to the Kage Bunshin, it was easy to train in wind manipulation and create the Fuuton: Rasengan."

"You sneaky little gaki." Jiraiya said, grinning. "You always have your clones do the chakra training, so I never saw anything." He then thought. _"Minato, Kushina, you would be proud of your son."_

"I was tricked..." Tsunade muttered to herself. "I was outsmarted by a gaki..."

"Well, Tsunade? Although you were tricked, you two shook hands." Jiraiya reminded.

"You're right...but we can't leave yet." Tsunade said.

"Orochimaru?" Jiraiya asked.

Tsunade nodded. "I have to meet him in a week to tell him if I will heal his arms or not."

"Why would you heal him?" Naruto asked.

"Orochimaru said he would use a Kinjutsu he learned to bring Dan and Nawaki back to life."

"Dan and Nawaki?" Naruto asked.

"Dan was Tsunade-sama's beloved and my uncle." Shizune said. "Nawaki was Tsunade-sama's little brother."

"Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei." Jiraiya said, getting everyone's attention. "Reports said that Orochimaru used that Kinjutsu, created by your grand-uncle, to bring back your grandfather and grand-uncle to fight Sarutobi-sensei."

"In that case, wouldn't it mean that Orochimaru could revive Dan and Nawaki and have them attack Tsunade after she healed him?" Naruto asked.

"I wouldn't be surprised." Jiraiya frowned.

"Now that I know what the Jutsu is, I feel horrified of ever considering Orochimaru's offer." Tsunade admitted, crying. "Dan and Nawaki would be disappointed in me."

"This is a chance, Tsunade." Jiraiya said. "Become Hokage. Fulfill Dan and Nawaki's dream for them."

Tsunade wiped away her tears and nodded. She walked up to Naruto and was about to take off her necklace.

"Keep it on, Tsunade." Jiraiya said. "You always have it on. If we are to trap Orochimaru, we mustn't let him get suspicious. He will notice if you no longer have your necklace."

Tsunade nodded. Orochimaru would definitely notice. "I'll simply give it to you after we're done here." She told Naruto, who nodded.

* * *

The next week, Naruto, Shizune and Jiraiya allowed Tsunade to go ahead to meet Orochimaru. After a few minutes, they followed her.

When they were close by, they hid within the trees. Tsunade pretended to have accepted the deal and was about to 'heal' Orochimaru's arms, only for a kunai to land between them, making them jump away from each other, and for Kabuto to appear next to Orochimaru.

"For you to betray me at the last minute, Tsunade." Orochimaru said.

Tsunade smirked. "Last minute?" The moment she said that, Naruto, Shizune and Jiraiya appeared next to her.

"Jiraiya... Naruto-kun..." Orochimaru said. "I had no idea there were others looking for Tsunade-hime."

Tsunade charged, jumped and went for an axe-kick, only for Orochimaru and Kabuto to dodge. The axe-kick destroyed the ground it landed on. The strength behind the attack shocked Naruto.

Kabuto and Orochimaru retreated to a more spacious battlefield, followed by the Konoha-nin.

Tsunade and Jiraiya faced Orochimaru, while Naruto faced Kabuto. Shizune would help Naruto if need be.

"For me to face my old teammates... Kabuto, summon Manda." Orochimaru ordered, ripping the bandage off of his left arm.

Kabuto rolled Orochimaru's sleeve, revealing the summoning tattoos, before biting his own thumb and spread the blood across the tattoo. He then made some handsigns and slammed his hand on the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Jiraiya and Tsunade also bit their thumbs and summon their respective summon animal.

A giant red toad appeared for Jiraiya, a giant slug for Tsunade and a giant purple snake for Orochimaru.

* * *

"Your opponent is me, Naruto-kun." Kabuto said.

"Indeed. I've been itching to give you a beating since I saw that Oto-nin with one of your Ninja Info Cards."

"So that baka _did_ underestimate you." Kabuto sighed. "People just don't listen nowadays. I must admit, though, I am impressed with your progress, Naruto-kun. You've caught my interest since you defeated Neji so easily. Even without using the Kyuubi, you are quite the monster."

Naruto unsheathed Muramasa. "And now the fox will catch the snake that slithered both inside and outside of Konoha."

"Bold claim." Kabuto smirked as he activated his Chakra Scalpels. "But I admit I am curious about how much you've progressed since the Chunin Exams."

Naruto charged and swung Muramasa at Kabuto, who dodged and hit Naruto on the arm with the Chakra Scalpel, ripping the muscle.

"Such an attack is useless against me." Naruto said as he activated a bit of Kyuubi's chakra to heal the wound. "But, you'll probably keep doing this until I tire myself out, so I'll finish this quickly." He said, discarding his trench coat. It made a much larger thud and crater than in the Chunin Exams.

"_I have to be careful."_ Kabuto thought. _"Against Neji, his speed increased a lot when he took off the coat. There's no telling how-"_ His train of thought was interrupted by a punch to the face. _"T-This is much faster than before!"_

"Did you not pay attention? I have quite the healing factor. Weight training is quite beneficial for me, as my body adapts to the weight much faster than most people. My weights are already three times heavier than back against Neji." Naruto said, shocking Kabuto.

Naruto was too fast for Kabuto. There was no way to keep up.

"It's time to finish this fight." Naruto said as he sheathed Muramasa and made a normal Rasengan on his right hand. "Rasengan!" He yelled, catching everyone's attention as he slammed the sphere in Kabuto's gut, sending him spiralling right to a rock.

* * *

The summons had been fighting this entire time, with their summoners assisting one way or another but mostly focusing on each other. The Sannin's attention turned to Naruto and Kabuto when they heard the blond call out a certain Jutsu and they saw him attack Kabuto with a sphere.

Orochimaru's eyes widened. "For him to master such a Jutsu..."

Jiraiya simply looked at Naruto with pride while Tsunade was still awed at Naruto's ability to use the Rasengan.

Kabuto had focused chakra on his gut to endure and heal the wound, but he was barely standing.

"Good thing I focused my chakra at the point of impact to heal myself before you even hit me." Kabuto said. "I have the ability to heal and re-energize any of my damaged cells."

The three Sannin heard Kabuto's words and had different reactions. Orochimaru already knew this, Jiraiya wondered just how far Kabuto could go with that healing ability and Tsunade was interested in the ability, being a medic-nin.

Kabuto took a few steps forward but collapsed due to the strain on his body.

Naruto and Shizune turned to the fight between the Sannin and their summons, knowing they would get in the way.

Orochimaru was now worried. In his current state, even with Manda's help, he couldn't face his former teammates _and_ someone who easily defeated Kabuto. He had to retreat, but couldn't leave a subordinate as valuable as Kabuto behind. He jumped and landed next to Kabuto, grabbing some of his right hand man's clothes with his jaw, and disappeared.

Manda left as well, knowing the battle was over. The Toad and Slug did the same.

Tsunade sighed in relief, glad the battle was over.

"You guys did great." Naruto said as he picked up his coat.

"Put a lid on it, gaki." Jiraiya said. "You were too busy with Kabuto to watch our fight."

"At least he encourages his comrades, especially his Hokage." Tsunade said, handing Naruto her necklace.

"Whatever. Let's head back to town and rest. We'll head for Konoha tomorrow." Jiraiya said, earning everyone's agreement.

* * *

When they were on their way back to Konoha, Tsunade suggested they go to a town known for its hot springs. A few key words and Jiraiya was convinced, forcing Naruto to tag along.

"I swear, the longer I'm with you, the more pathetic you seem." Naruto told Jiraiya, making Tsunade laugh.

"Don't be like that, gaki. Enjoy the hot spring and the mixed bathing." Jiraiya said.

"We have hot springs in Konoha and I have been in mixed bathing before, even met people that didn't care of my status. It was quite nice, having a conversation with an intelligent person."

* * *

To Jiraiya's dismay, there were no women in the hot spring when he got there. He would be patient, though.

Tsunade and Shizune went to the pachinko parlor, as there was time before dinner.

Naruto, having nothing better to do, followed them. He saw for himself how bad Tsunade's luck was. He decided to show her his devil's luck. Both women were awed.

Once Tsunade was satisfied with the amount won, the trio, plus a pig, returned to their hotel. They ran into debt collectors that begged Tsunade to pay her debt to Akagi, only for Tsunade to tell them she had paid Akagi back the year before. Both men grinned and left to finally return home.

"So you _do_ pay your debts every once in a while." Naruto said. "From what I heard from Jiraiya, you always run away from your debt collectors."

"I'll let the comment fly just this once, gaki, if only because you've won me enough money to pay _all_ of my debts and then some." Tsunade said, the grin on her face never leaving.

The next day, at dawn, the group left to return to Konoha. After dragging Jiraiya out of the hot spring, of course.

Konoha will finally have the world's greatest medic-nin as its Hokage. The people will definitely rejoice.

* * *

After they returned, one who definitely wasn't happy was Konohamaru, who had seen Izumo and Kotetsu take his grandfather's belongings out of the Hokage office. He accidentally ran into Tsunade as he complained.

After Tsunade went to see the Council, Naruto stayed by Konohamaru's side as they walked round the village.

"Who was that blonde woman I ran into, boss?" Konohamaru asked Naruto as Udon and Moegi followed them.

"That was Tsunade Senju: one of your gramps' students, the Shodai's granddaughter, the Nidaime's grand niece and soon-to-be Godaime Hokage." When Naruto said it like that, it sounded like quite a resume.

"A student of Ji-chan?" Konohamaru asked. "Wait, did you say Godaime Hokage?"

"That's right. Why? Is something bothering you?" Naruto asked.

"Everyone's gonna forget Ji-chan..." Konohamaru muttered.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto said. "Every day, people are thankful of the Shodai for founding this village. The same people are thankful of the Nidaime for founding the very academy you have your classes in. And these people are thankful for the years of peace Old Man Sandaime gave them. Don't forget the Yondaime's sacrifice against the Kyuubi. People are definitely thankful for that."

"So they won't forget Ji-chan?" Konohamaru asked.

"They won't." Naruto confirmed.

"But even if she's Ji-chan's student, how do we know she's worthy of the title?" Konohamaru asked.

Naruto smirked. "Let's go ask her, why don't we?" He said as he led the trio back to the Hokage Tower.

* * *

"You want me to show my medical skills to Sarutobi-sensei's grandson?" Tsunade asked Naruto, who nodded.

"He isn't sure of your worth as a Hokage. Show him that you care for your people." Naruto said.

Tsunade sighed. "Well, I have to heal Kakashi, the Uchiha and Rock Lee, anyway. Let's go."

* * *

When the group arrived at the hospital, Tsunade started with Sasuke's room. She placed her hand on Sasuke's forehead and used her Medical Jutsu. Sakura, who had visited Sasuke everyday, was awed.

When Tsunade was done, Sasuke regained consciousness and sat up on the bed. Sakura immediately hugged him. Sasuke was still out of it, as he wasn't mentioning Itachi yet.

"Shall we leave those two alone and head for the next one?" Naruto asked Tsunade, who nodded. The Konohamaru Corps were awed at the speed Tsunade healed Sasuke.

* * *

After Tsunade healed Kakashi, she reprimanded him for his recklessness in facing an Uchiha in a Sharingan fight. The group then headed for Lee's room.

When they arrived in Lee's room, Tsunade used the Diagnosis Jutsu to see the extent of Lee's injury. She didn't want to say this in front of children, but she knew Naruto wouldn't budge.

"These injuries are no joke." Tsunade said. "He has bone fragments deeply embedded to the spinal cord. "

"But you can heal him, right?" Guy asked desperately.

"There is a possible surgery, but it takes a long time." Tsunade said. "Even if I do this surgery, it only has a success rate of 50%, at most."

"There's always room for improvement." Naruto said.

"I can make some research to find something, anything, to improve Lee's chances, but that will also take time. It may even only raise the chances from 50% to 51%." Tsunade explained.

"Then have some Kage Bunshin do the research along with you. Someone's dream is at stake here." Naruto said. He respected Lee, who didn't deserve this.

Tsunade's eyes widened. "Kage Bunshin...of course! I could only make so much progress on my own. But with the Kage Bunshin searching along, the chances may increase greatly! I can even have them do the paperwork for me to give me even more time!"

Tsunade's new confidence cheered Lee up.

"Please, Tsunade-sama, heal my precious pupil!" Guy pleaded.

"Of course." Tsunade said as she left the room. There was a lot to do.

"Naruto-kun." Naruto turned to Guy when he heard his name. The man was crying manly tears. "Thank you. You may have saved Lee's dream."

"Yeah, that was awesome, boss!" Konohamaru said as Moegi and Udon nodded in agreement with stars in their eyes.

Naruto merely chuckled at the different reactions.

* * *

After a few days, Tsunade was officially announced as the Godaime Hokage.

The Hokage faces, especially the first three, seemed to have a proud look that day.

**All right, now we're getting to the movies and filler territories for a bit. The next chapter will be in a few days, so I'll say it right now: Merry Christmas! **


	7. Chapter 7: Snow, Tea and Rice

**Hello everyone! So, the original chapter 7 was a bit short, so I mixed chapter 8 in, making it the longest chapter in the story. Future chapters will be numbered appropriately.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 7: Missions to Snow and Tea**

A few days after the inauguration, Kakashi ordered Team 7 to watch a specific movie. Naruto had actually seen other movies that the lead actress, Yukie Fujikaze, played in, so he knew of her acting talent. They then had to meet Kakashi at a specific place, but Naruto obviously waited until a few minutes before Kakashi's late arrival, as usual. The other two still didn't learn.

As Naruto walked around the village, he saw Yukie Fujikaze riding a horse as she was being chased by black horsemen. He followed her through the rooftops to see what she was doing. A scene for a new movie, perhaps?

As it turns out, it was the actress running away from her film crew. When Kakashi finally showed up, he explained that their mission was to escort Yukie and the film crew to Yuki no Kuni. They were also hired to be stuntmen, meaning they would also be part of the film. Apparently, Yukie had no desire in going to that country. When he heard this, Naruto started tailing Yukie, to make she doesn't try to run away again.

"You are hopeless." Naruto said bluntly as he sat next to Yukie at the bar.

"Why are you following me?" She asked.

The actress was beautiful, despite her emotionless face. She had long black hair and light-colored eyes.

"Because my team's mission is to escort you to Yuki no Kuni. Letting you run away would make this pointless."

"So I'm nothing more than an objective to you?" Yukie asked.

"You ask that like you care." Naruto commented.

"I don't." She said, taking a swig of sake.

"I admit, I am surprised that you are so...dull, yet you have so much energy in your scenes." Naruto said.

"Being an actress is a job for the worst people." Yukie said. "You have to follow other people's script, act, and live in a world packed with lies. Truly stupid."

"We live in a world packed with secrets, both good and bad. What else is new?" Naruto said.

"I suppose that's a fair point."

Sandayu Asama, Yukie's personal assistant, and Sakura entered the bar.

"Yukie-sama, the ship to Yuki no Kuni will depart soon." Sandayu said.

"It's okay. I'm not boarding the ship." Yukie said.

"You will." Naruto said. "Even if I have to drag you."

"You think you can?" Yukie asked.

"You've yet to escape me." Naruto countered, making Yukie frown.

"I guess it can't be helped." Kakashi said behind Yukie, making her turn to him. The moment she did, Kakashi used his Sharingan to place her in a Genjutsu. Naruto caught her as she lost consciousness.

On the ship, they placed her on her bed and let her sleep.

"Naruto, if Yukie runs away during the mission, you will be the one to give chase." Kakashi said, knowing Naruto had done a good job of that so far.

"Got it."

During the cruise, the next day, Yukie rushed out of her room. Disbelief on her face as she realized they were headed to Yuki no Kuni. Nevertheless, she now had to play her movie character, Fuun-hime. She sure was able to change personalities fast. Although, she apparently needed eye drops to act like she was crying.

The day after, an iceberg was in the way of the ship. Therefore, the director decided to play the scene on the iceberg.

In the middle of the shooting, however, an explosion happened, interrupting the shooting, although they kept shooting.

Team 7 immediately appeared in front of Yukie, ignoring the director's cry of outrage.

A man with light blue hair wearing some sort of armor appeared. "Welcome to Yuki no Kuni." He said.

"Nadare Roga." Kakashi said.

A woman appeared on top of an ice spike. "Welcome back, Koyuki-hime." She said, mockingly. "Have you brought the hexagonal crystal?"

Kakashi looked at 'Yukie' in shock before feeling another presence.

Another man appeared from beneath the snow. "As expected from Kakashi Hatake."

"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, be careful of their armor. It amplifies the wearer's chakra and strengthens their Jutsu, while absorbing Ninjutsu and Genjutsu." Kakashi explained.

"Fubuki, Mizore, get Koyuki. I have a score to settle with Kakashi." Nadare said.

Kakashi charged at Nadare and they started fighting atop the iceberg.

The Film Crew ran back to the ship, the camera still shooting.

Naruto charged at Mizore, who pulled out a snowboard and charged through the snow. Mizore jumped off his snowboard and tried to punch Naruto, who dodged before kicking the man in the face. Mizore got up and went to punch Naruto in the gut with his massive gauntlet, but Naruto was more than fast enough to jump and axe-kick Mizore on the head. As Mizore was on the ground, Naruto unsheathed Muramasa and pierced Mizore's heart, the armor being unable to block the demon blade. Mizore's soul went inside Naruto through the hand pressed against the corpse.

He looked at Sasuke's fight and saw Fubuki retreating by flying with her armor's makeshift wings.

Suddenly, a giant horned whale made of ice split the iceberg in two. Two more rose from the water and broke the iceberg. Good thing everyone was back on the boat by then.

"Cut!" The director said. "This will be a great movie, I can feel it!"

Nadare and Fubuki landed on the remains of the iceberg as the ship cruised away.

"That blond gaki killed Mizore." Fubuki said.

"It seems Kakashi is not the only one with skills in the squad." Nadare commented.

"Naruto." Kakashi called out.

"What's up?" Naruto asked before Kakashi showed him a necklace. "Isn't that..."

"Koyuki's necklace? That's right. This is what they are after, according to Sasuke's opponent. I replaced it with an exact copy. I'm entrusting the real deal to you." Kakashi said.

"Why me? You have me chase Koyuki if she runs away." Naruto asked.

"When have you ever failed me?" Kakashi asked back, handing the necklace to Naruto.

**Later, Yuki no Kuni harbor**

"I am sorry for deceiving you in such a way, but it was the only way to bring Koyuki-hime back in Yuki no Kuni." Sandayu explained to Team 7 and the director. "Doto, brother to the late Sousetsu-ousama, revolted and took over the Country. The people thought Koyuki-hime was gone for good. But I found her while she was on stage. I was overjoyed at her survival."

"It would have been better had I died that day." Koyuki said as she entered the room.

"Please don't say that." Sandayu pleaded. "To the people of Yuki, the fact that you're alive is our only hope!"

"The body may be alive, but my heart died a long time ago." Koyuki said. "My tears have dried up since the incident."

"I somehow managed to become Koyuki-hime's manager and waited for the opportunity to bring her back." Sandayu stood up and kneeled before Koyuki. "You must overthrow Doto and become our new Queen!"

"Out of the question." Koyuki said bluntly. "Don't joke with me. How will you ever defeat Doto?"

"Quite easily, given that we're here." Naruto said, getting everyone's attention. He then looked at the director with a smirk. "Besides, the movie must go on, right?"

"Naruto-dono..." Sandayu muttered.

The director laughed. "Indeed! The dream of an entire Country and the efforts to overthrow a tyrant king: the perfect theme for the final Fuun-hime Movie!"

"Wait a second, you can't be serious!" Koyuki exclaimed.

"We are." Kakashi said. "Now that Doto has discovered your presence, there is nowhere for you to hide. All you can do is fight."

"So it's decided! The film will continue!" The Director claimed.

Everyone then moved in the country with car-like snowmobiles, which surprised Naruto. Most vehicles were non-existent in this world, probably because shinobi travel faster.

The snowmobiles had to stop when two people needed to take a leak. Koyuki tried to run away at that moment, but was caught by Naruto.

"If you run away now, you'll be killed by Doto." Naruto said.

"I don't care if I die!" She said.

"Other people do, so put a lid on it." Naruto said as he dragged her back in one of the snowmobiles and kept an eye on her.

The snowmobiles drove through a cave and stopped beyond it to film another scene. As they prepared the equipment, however, train tracks appeared from beneath the ice, making Naruto's eyes widen.

"Everyone, clear the way!" He yelled, making everyone run away from the tracks.

No sooner than that happened, loud noises were heard before a train exited the cave before stopping by them.

"It's been a while, Koyuki." They heard a voice as a man stepped out of the train with a microphone.

Koyuki's eyes widened. "Doto Kazahana."

"It's been ten years, hasn't it?" Doto asked. "Let me see your face."

Before anything more happened, logs fell against the train from the cliff, getting everyone's attention. Armed soldiers, led by an armored Sandayu, stood at the top of the cliff.

"The people of Yuki no Kuni dare stand against me?" Doto asked.

"We shall do so, for Koyuki-hime!" Sandayu said, earning the soldiers' roar of agreement.

Further away, the film crew were filming. The director was salivating at what he knew would be a great movie.

"Then you shall experience hopelessness." Doto announced as the train's weaponry was aimed at the charging soldier.

It was a slaughter. The soldiers were shot by hundreds, if not thousands of kunai. None of them survived, although Sandayu held on for dear life.

Naruto charged and threw some shuriken at Doto, who blocked them. But that was enough to get his attention.

Kakashi's eyes widened as he tried to head towards Naruto, but Nadare stood in his way. Fubuki did the same with Sasuke. Sakura stayed close to Koyuki.

Doto discarded his robes, revealing black chakra armor that seemed more advanced than those of his subordinates, and jumped in front of Naruto.

Doto charged and tried to punch Naruto, only to punch the ground instead, breaking the icy surface.

"Impressive strength." Naruto said behind Doto. "Or is the gauntlet making this effect?"

"Both reasons, I assure you." Doto smirked as he made some handsigns. "Hyoton: Kokuryu Bofusetsu!" He called out as he punched the air, unleashing a black dragon made of snow, aiming straight for Naruto. The impact made a lot of smoke. Doto smirked and looked up. The dragon's motion and power should launch the target in air when it hit. But Naruto wasn't hit. He shot out of the smoke and punched Doto straight in the yin-yang emblem of his armor, which covered the core. It now had a sizable crack.

"You accursed..." Doto growled as he made more handsigns. "Hyoton: Soryu Bofusetsu!" He called out as a black dragon shot out of each fist. They circled around Naruto before merging and turning into a massive black tornado, catching everyone's attention. Doto started laughing.

"It's not over yet." Naruto's voice was heard. As the smoke from the tornado dissipated, he was revealed holding a Rasengan with four wind razor blades.

"_That's...!"_ Kakashi realized. _"Minato-sensei, your son gets closer to surpassing you every day."_ He thought proudly.

Naruto charged at Doto. The large man tried to punch Naruto, only for the fist to be ducked.

"Fuuton: Rasengan!" Naruto said as he slammed the Jutsu on the core, which was straining to absorb the chakra before breaking, sending Doto backward.

"_What a terrifying Jutsu."_ Doto thought as he remained on the ground, unable to move.

Naruto approached and had Muramasa pointed at Doto's heart.

"Wait." Doto said. "I have a final request."

Naruto looked at Doto with a raised eyebrow, but stayed on guard.

"The treasure of Kazahana... I have looked for it for years and I finally found it. I wish for it to be activated, even if only once. I shall tell you the location of the treasure."

Naruto didn't see anything wrong with that. If it was a weapon, Koyuki probably wouldn't use it or it will be destroyed. "Very well." He said.

Doto told the location of the treasure before Naruto pierced his heart, getting his soul through the hand pressed against the armor. After this, he returned to the group, who had all finished their battles as well.

"I noticed you hesitated in killing Doto." Kakashi said.

"He told me the location of the Kazahana Treasure." Naruto explained. "I'm curious about what it is."

Naruto guided everyone to the location of the treasure.

"So, I have to put the hexagonal crystal in the slot?" Koyuki asked.

"That's right." Naruto said as he pulled the necklace out of his sleeve and handed it to Koyuki, who was shocked as she looked at the necklace around her neck. "Kakashi-sensei replaced it after the first battle." Koyuki looked indignant at that, but let it slide as she used the crystal to activate the treasure.

The air was getting warmer and the snow and ice started to melt, showing grass and water.

"A machine that creates spring..." Koyuki muttered.

Suddenly, a hologram of Koyuki as a child appeared over the machine.

"When spring comes, I'll become a kind and strong princess that believes in justice!" Child Koyuki said.

"I did say that before, didn't I?" Koyuki asked herself.

"You'll become one for sure, one day." The hologram of a man appeared and patted Child Koyuki on her head before putting the hexagonal crystal around her neck.

"Chichi-ue..." Koyuki said as she started crying, really crying.

"But I also wanna be an actress!" Child Koyuki said, making her father and the real Koyuki laugh.

Days later, Koyuki was inaugurated as Queen and Daimyo of the newly-named Haru no Kuni, which would become Yuki no Kuni during winter. The soldiers that died in battle, including Sandayu, were given a proper burial. Team 7 eventually had to return to Konoha.

After a few days back in Konoha, Team 7, except Kakashi, was getting a new B-rank mission.

"Team 7 will be protecting an important figure, in the allied country of Cha no Kuni, for an important event called the Todoroki Taisha Dedication Ceremony, an event that happens once every 4 years." Tsunade said. "While the important figure is unknown, we do know that he is our client's racer for the ceremony. The messengers were defeated by an opponent's spy. If you encounter this spy, and depending on whom he is, this mission may very well become an A-rank."

"You can count on us, Hokage-sama." Naruto, now representing the team due to his Chunin rank, said.

"I know I can, otherwise I would have given the mission to another team." Tsunade smirked. "You have your mission, depart right away. You are to meet Jirocho Wasabi in Cha no Kuni by the end of today. Hurry up!"

"Ma'am!" The team said before leaving.

After they had grabbed the necessities, the team left for Cha no kuni. When they got there, they stop by a Tea Shop to grab a bite to eat.

Just when they were relaxing, they were approached by a boy about their age or slightly older.

"To be drinking oshiruko so carelessly on a beautiful day like this..." He said, mockingly. "Being a ninja must be an easy occupation."

"A ninja can die any day, and therefore must make the most out of life." Naruto said.

"And just like that, you countered my words." The boy turned to Naruto with a smirk. "Idate Morino."

"Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto said.

Idate looked at Sakura with a smile as he leaned against the table. "So what's your name, beautiful?"

Sakura had a pink hue on her cheeks. "S-Sakura Haruno."

"Sakura, huh? Such a wonderful name." Idate said. "Our meeting must be fate. How about we talk about the future?"

Sakura was full-on blushing. "The future?"

"I'm talking about you quitting your job as a ninja and becoming my bride." Idate said.

"Sorry to disappoint you, pal, but she's aiming for the guy sitting next to her." Naruto said, talking about Sasuke.

"I see... What a shame." Idate sighed before smirking. "As if. I hate all ninja, male or female. Get out of Cha no Kuni or I won't let you go unharmed." He said before leaving.

As soon as he left, the waitress arrived with their food and gave them two receipts.

"Two receipts?" Sakura asked.

"That boy said you would pay it." The waitress said.

Naruto sighed. "Whatever. I got the money for it." He said, pulling the bills.

"That can't all be from the missions we've done." Sakura commented, seeing the wallet's content.

"From the missions and from showing Godaime-sama my devil's luck after seeing her rotten luck." Naruto explained

After the meal, the team headed for the Wasabi home, meeting Jirocho.

"Thank you, all three of you, for coming here. Do you three know of the Todoroki Taisha Dedication Ceremony?" Jirocho asked.

Naruto looked at Sakura, who shook her head, then at Sasuke, who did the same. Naruto looked at the Wasabi Family Head. "None of us do." Naruto said.

"It all started with a legend from long ago, which says that when we dedicate the Treasure Orbs of Ryuko to the Todoroki Taisha, the storm will settle. Since then, it has become a customary event that happens once every 4 years. Initially, it was an event to dedicate the Treasure Orbs, but over time, it became a festival race, where person who comes in first will dedicate them. Recently, however, it has taken another form." Jirocho explained.

"A form of power?" Naruto asked.

"In a sense." Jirocho nodded. "In this port village, there are two clans: the Wasabi Family and the Wagarashi Family. As embarrassing as it is to admit, there are constant disputes and fights over the city boundaries. As things got out of control, civilians started getting caught in middle of the conflict. So, one of the Daimyo made a bargain: the leader of the village will be decided through an important event instead of fighting."

"Todoroki Taisha Dedication Ceremony." Naruto said.

"Precisely." Jirocho nodded. "The Wagarashi Family had hired a ninja's help four years ago and have done the same this time. Our messengers were ambushed by that very ninja." Jirocho bowed to the team. "Please. Lend us your strength. We cannot afford to lose this race against the Wagarashi Family."

"What kind of allies would we be if we ignored you?" Naruto said.

"Who are we guarding?" Sasuke asked.

"Thank you." Jirocho said before clapping his hands twice, signaling for someone to enter.

The door opened, revealing Idate Morino. "Did you call for me, Boss?" He asked, bowing.

"How's it going, Idate?" Naruto asked with a smirk, making Idate look up in shock.

"Oh, so you know each other. Then that makes things easier."

"It really depends on Idate, who apparently hates ninja." Naruto said.

Naruto started walking around the village with Idate.

"Boss Jirocho didn't have to beg to a ninja." Idate said.

"An eye for an eye, Idate. He asked the help of Konoha to protect you from the other ninja. That's all you should care about." Naruto said. "It's not like we'll meet again after this is over."

"I guess you're right about that." Idate admitted.

That night, the race was about to begin. The moment the sun rose, Idate and the Wagarashi racer, Fukusuke, started running. Fukusuke, towards the boat, Idate ran north. Team 7 followed him, wondering what he was doing.

They quickly reached a beach that had a boat.

"There's a seasonal wind around this time of year." Idate explained. "I noticed it when looking at the clouds back at the starting line."

"You're saying this way is faster than the intended way because of the seasonal wind." Naruto figured out.

"Exactly." Idate said before going to a cabin and talking to an old man, who was the boat owner.

After that, Idate and Team 7 sailed off.

"Naruto..." Sakura called over. "What do you think about Idate?"

"Depends on what you mean." Naruto said.

"That speed of his isn't natural. I wonder if he was a ninja of a hidden village." Sakura said.

"You mean you didn't notice?" Naruto asked.

"Notice what?" Sakura asked.

"His last name. He's Ibiki Morino's little brother." Naruto's words shocked Idate.

"My brother's alive!?" Idate asked.

"Why wouldn't he be?" Naruto asked.

Idate didn't answer, but remained deep in thought during the entire ride.

When they ported on the north of Nagi Island, a green-haired man stood in the way.

"It's been a while, Idate." The man said.

Idate's eyes widened. "Aoi Rokusho..."

Aoi looked at Team 7 before looking back at Idate. "I thought I taught you not to trust others." He said as he approached the group.

Naruto stood between Idate and Aoi, brandishing Muramasa.

Aoi grinned. "Oh... A Kenjutsu user." He said, pulling out a vajra-like hilt.

Idate recognized the hilt. "That's...!"

Aoi chuckled. "The Nidaime Hokage's Raijin no Ken, which you stole for me. I still remember that day like it was yesterday: how you failed the Chunin Exams and I made you believe that if you brought me this sword, you would become a Chunin" He said before laughing.

Naruto quickly recognized the similarities in the story and his own. "Idate..." Naruto said, catching everyone's attention. "I have so much chakra in my body that, back during the Academy days, I couldn't make a normal Bunshin to save my life. I failed the Graduation Exam and one of my sensei, Mizuki, told me a secret: If I steal the Forbidden Scroll and learn a Jutsu from it, I will become a Genin." Sasuke and Sakura's eyes widened, never having known that. Idate was shocked that someone had been in a similar situation to his own. "I learned the Kage Bunshin inside that scroll and then, when Mizuki tried to attack me for the scroll, I beat him up with the Kage Bunshin and brought him to the Hokage. I became a Genin after showing my ability with the Kage Bunshin."

"Well, how about that..." Aoi said. "Unlike you, Idate, this kid didn't run away and actually progressed in rank. It's so pathetic of you, you should just die." He activated the Raijin no Ken. It had a bright yellow blade that pulsed with lightning chakra, deserving of its name.

"I won't let you get in the way." Naruto said as he charged Aoi with Muramasa. The blades clashed.

"Why aren't you getting shocked? The Raijin no Ken shocks any target it gets in contact with!" Aoi demanded.

"Against any normal targets, probably, but what about a wind user?" Naruto asked with a smirk.

Aoi's eyes widened as he looked at Muramasa's blade. He saw the wind chakra coating the blade. He was then kneed in the gut before Naruto completely slice him, thanks to the wind chakra on the blade. Naruto picked up the hilt of the Raijin no Ken, wondering if he would get a bonus for bringing it back.

He turned back to the group. "Shall we go on?" Naruto asked.

Idate ran ahead while Team 7 burned Aoi's body. They quickly caught up to him.

They no longer suffered any attacks, Idate made it to Modoroki Shirne while Team 7 looked from afar. Apparently, Fukusuke took a break, thinking he would win because of Aoi. Imagine his surprise when he saw Idate taking the second Treasure Orb of Ryuko and running ahead.

Without any interruptions, Idate easily outran Fukusuke and won the race, to the people's joy. The Cha no Kuni Daimyo also disbanded the Wagarashi Family for the suffering they had caused to the people.

The next day, Team 7 left for Konoha and reported the mission to Tsunade. They received an A-rank reward, due to the presence of a Jonin as the enemy raising the mission rank. Naruto also received a major bonus for returning the Raijin no Ken. Tsunade, being the Nidaime's grand niece, as well as Koharu and Homura, being the Nidaime's students alongside the Sandaime, were especially grateful.

* * *

A few days later, Naruto was walking around the village with the Konohamaru Corps. In front of them was Sasuke, who was staring at Naruto intently, and Sakura, who had been following Sasuke with a worried look.

"You want something from me." Naruto stated. He could tell from Sasuke's gaze.

"Fight me." Sasuke said, shocking the rest of the group.

"You want to fight me? Not out here, I hope." Naruto said.

"Training Ground 7." Sasuke said. Naruto nodded and they all headed there.

* * *

"So, what spurred this on?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke stayed silent as he activated his Sharingan and got in his fighting stance.

Naruto sighed as he braced himself.

Sasuke charged and attacked, only for each fist and kick to be block or dodged.

"Quit being on the defensive and fight!" Sasuke demanded.

He almost immediately regretted saying that as Naruto's speed and strength were superior to his own. He dodged a fist, only to be kicked in the shin, punched in the gut and then in the face, sending him to the ground.

Sasuke roared in rage as he got up and his fist crackled with lightning.

Sakura's eyes widened in horror while the trio of children were wondering what the Jutsu was.

"You would use an A-rank Assassination Jutsu against your own teammate?" Naruto asked. Now the Konohamaru Corps was also horrified.

"Naruto!" Sasuke cried out as he charged.

However, Kakashi appeared and caught Sasuke's wrist.

"What are you doing, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked. "Were you planning to kill Naruto?"

Sasuke merely stared at Kakashi.

"Chidori isn't a Jutsu to use against a comrade." Kakashi lectured.

Sasuke simply walked away.

"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura muttered, worried that the Cursed Mark was probably doing something to him.

Kakashi sighed. "Well, I better catch up to him and keep him still so he'll listen." Kakashi turned to Sakura and eye-smiled. "Don't worry, once he and I have talked, everything will be back to normal."

Sakura smiled and trusted her sensei's word.

"Naruto." Kakashi said, getting the blond's attention. "I never got to say this before, but Yondaime-sensei would be proud that you mastered and completed his Jutsu." He then walked away.

"_He what!?"_ Sakura and the Konohamaru Corps thought. Sakura put that information at the back of her mind for now. She had more pressing matters at the moment.

"Naruto... We need to talk... in private." Sakura said.

The Konohamaru Corps pouted but complied.

"Sasuke-kun told me to say nothing about that to you, but... After we got separated in the Forest of Death, Orochimaru gave Sasuke a weird mark on his neck. He went berserk when it first activated. Kakashi said it would no longer be a problem, but it activated again when he fought Gaara just before you. That face he had when the two of you fought just now...it was the same as when he went berserk." She said, distraught.

Naruto sighed. "That slippery snake sure gets in the way a lot." He said.

Sakura looked confused. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"Apparently, before he died, the Sandaime did something that turned Orochimaru's arms to stone. He was there when we went looking for Tsunade. He was seeking her out to heal his ailment."

"Orochimaru said Sasuke would seek him out for power." Sakura said.

"Then all we can do is trust Kakashi-sensei's earlier words. Sasuke certainly won't listen to me until then." Naruto said.

* * *

The next morning, Naruto was woken up by someone knocking on his door. It was Shikamaru, wearing his Flak jacket.

"What's up?" Naruto asked.

"Sasuke left the village." Shikamaru said grimly.

Naruto sighed. "I guess Kakashi-sensei was wrong about things going back to normal.

Naruto and Shikamaru then gathered Choji, along with Kiba and Akamaru. They also met up with Neji and Lee, almost completely recovered. Shikamaru explained the situation to Neji, who agreed to join the mission.

When they arrived at the Gate, Shikamaru told the team his plan.

"It's very possible that Sasuke left the village guided by subordinates of Ororchimaru. We must therefore prepare for an ambush. I have a formation that will allow us to immediately react to an enemy attack. It's a single line formation. Kiba and Akamaru will be at the front, your sense of smell can track Sasuke and detect booby traps carrying the enemy's scent. Behind Kiba will be me, as I can advise Kiba and use hand signals to command those behind me. The one in the center will be Naruto, his quick reactions and Kage Bunshin will allow him to reinforce everyone, both front and back. Next will be Choji, you may not have a lot of speed, but you sure pack a punch. With Kiba, myself and Naruto before you, you can then finish off the enemy after a surprise attack. At the back will be Neji, whose Byakugan will make sure the formation as no blind spot."

"Naruto!" Sakura's voice called out, getting the group's attention. She was crying. "Bring Sasuke-kun back. I couldn't convince him to stay. I couldn't stop him from leaving. Only you will be able to do that."

"I'll see what I can do, but I'm certain that things won't be back to normal after this." Naruto said.

Sakura knew that too. She wanted to deny it, but knew it was true.

Naruto turned to the rest of the team. "Let's go." They all nodded and went on their way.

* * *

After the team evaded many traps, Neji had Orochimaru's subordinates in his Byakugan's view. They appeared to be resting. Shikamaru created an ambush plan and the team split up to circle them. Unfortunately, Shikamaru and Neji were found out.

"What's this?" The dark grey-haired one said. "I throw my kunai and found two bugs instead of a snake."

"Hold on!" Shikamaru said. "We're here to negotiate, not fight."

The six-armed one smirked. "Then what are these!?" He said, pulling some spider webs attached to his fingers, bringing Naruto, Kiba and Choji into the open.

Naruto unsheathed Muramasa and cut the spider wire tied to his ankle before landing on his feet.

Kiba pulled out a smoke bomb and threw it at the Oto-nin.

"What's the point of the smoke bomb?" The six-armed one asked. "My spider strings are thinner, yet much stronger than normal wires, so you can barely see them."

"I didn't think you had someone with such techniques." Shikamaru admitted.

"Doesn't matter. You're all done fo-" The six-armed one stopped himself as he went stiff. "W-Why can't I move my body?"

The entire Oto team had been in Shikamaru's Kagemane no Jutsu.

"But I have this technique." Shikamaru smirked. "Thank you for unknowingly following my plan."

"I didn't think you had someone with such techniques." The dark grey-haired one said, mockingly. "But I have this technique."

Suddenly, shuriken were thrown at Shikamaru from behind. He turned around to block them, but lost his focus on the Kagemane no Jutsu, freeing the team.

"Doton Kekkai: Doro Domu!" The largest member called out as he slammed his hands on the ground. Rocks formed around the Konoha team and imprisoned them in a dome.

"You guys go on ahead." The largest member said. "I'll hold them off as long as they have chakra."

"Just be done quickly, Jirobo." The dark-grey-haired one said as they left.

* * *

"From observation alone, it's a wall made of soil." Neji said.

"I don't know what this Jutsu is, but we just have to break the wall, right?" Kiba said as he performed Tsuga, a one-person version of Gatsuga, on the wall. He made a sizable dent on the wall, but it repaired itself after a second.

"So it isn't just a wall." Neji said as he activated his Byakugan before his eyes widened. "The walls are sucking our chakra out!"

"Then we just have to break through the walls before everything is sucked out! Akamaru!" Kiba called out as he gave his ninken a food pill. Akamaru's fur turned red after he ate the pills and transformed into Kiba. Both of them started using Gatsuga with reckless abandon until they were exhausted.

Whatever damage they made repaired itself. Although Naruto and Shikamaru noticed some parts of the dome did so at a slower pace than others.

Shikamaru stayed silent for a moment. "Oi! Anyone out there?" He called out.

"What is it? Wanna beg for you life?" Jirobo asked.

"We won't pursue Sasuke anymore. So let us out!" Shikamaru said.

"Too bad." Jirobo said. "You guys are my meal. Why would I let you out when I have a buffet to restore my chakra?"

"Then let one of us out. Me, for example." Shikamaru said, shocking Kiba. Naruto and Neji remained stoic while Choji started eating Potato chips.

"What the hell are you saying!?" Kiba growled.

"Fighting amongst yourselves?" Jirobo laughed. "For the leader of the team to beg for his life... you revealed your true nature to try and escape danger. Fools like you don't deserve the responsibility of a squad. What a fine piece of trash you are."

Choji stopped eating for a moment as his eyes narrowed before he continued eating. Naruto moved to another spot and pointed behind himself, right where Jirobo's voice came from. Shikamaru nodded.

"You would abandon Sasuke and sell out your comrades?" Jirobo asked. "Is that the standards for Konoha's Chunin? You don't deserve to be freed."

Shikamaru smirked and turned to Kiba. "Kiba, could you make a hole over there?" He said, pointing at the wall that was completely opposite of Naruto.

"I don't know what you want, but how can I say no to going wild?" Kiba said before focusing his chakra and using Tsuga once more to make a single dent on the wall.

"I need a marker." Shikamaru said.

Naruto immediately threw a kunai that embedded itself in the middle of the dent that was slowly repairing itself.

"Choji." Shikamaru said.

Choji made a handsign. "Baika no Jutsu!" He said as he inflated like a balloon. His limbs retreated within his body and he started rolling towards the dent. "Nikudan Sensha!"

Jirobo tried to use more Chakra to solidify the dome, but Choji managed to break through the wall and everyone ran outside as the dome crumbled.

"You're the best, Choji." Shikamaru said as his best friend gave the team soldier pills to recover their chakra.

"You guys were able to escape my barrier." Jirobo stated.

"Looks like the others went on ahead." Shikamaru said as he saw only Jirobo in the vicinity.

"They aren't anywhere nearby." Neji said with his Byakugan active.

Jirobo mockingly applauded them. "You guys did well...for trash."

"Who are you calling trash!?" Kiba growled as he charged, only for Naruto to stop him.

"He's not our priority." The blond said.

"He's right." Neji said. "We have to catch up to the others before Sasuke crosses the border."

"I'll hold him off." Choji said as he stepped forward and gave Shikamaru the bag of soldier pills. He wouldn't allow this guy to insult Shikamaru anymore. "You guys go after Sasuke."

"Choji..." Shikamaru trailed off, knowing exactly the secret weapon his best friend had.

"I'm not letting you get away!" Jirobo said as he charged forward. Choji pulled out a small plastic case containing three colored pills and ate the green one before stopping Jirobo's charge. "What!?"

"You better catch up, Choji." Shikamaru said as he and the rest of the team went on ahead.

On the way, Shikamaru explained the three pills Choji kept. They were a special recipe of the Akimichi clan. Each pill gives their user an incredible burst of power, but damages the body due to the pills forcing the power-up. It does so much damage that it's very likely to die if you eat the third pill.

* * *

They eventually caught up to the Oto team, who hadn't placed any trap as they thought Jirobo would be the one catching up.

Shikamaru transformed into Jirobo to try and get the barrel, but got discovered as, unlike the real Jirobo, he didn't say anything about Tayuya's swearing.

The six-armed ninja told Sakon and Tayuya to go on ahead while he handled the group. He then spit spider web at Shikamaru, restraining him.

Naruto then tried to attack from above. The Oto-nin made a ball of spider web.

"Ninpo: Kumo Soukai!" He said as the ball turned into a large spider web.

Naruto pulled out Muramasa and cut through the web, to the Spider Ninja's shock. As Naruto was coming from above, Kiba and Akamaru used the Gatsuga from below. However, the Spider Ninja made some spider wire and pulled himself away. He then dodged Neji, who tried to attack from behind, and caught him in more webs. But thanks to his Byakugan and the Juken style, he was able to escape the webbing.

"Everyone, catch up with the others. I'll deal with this one." Neji said.

"I can fight him too." Naruto said as he freed Shikamaru, Kiba and Akamaru from the webbing.

"True, your katana can cut through his webbing, but you are the one with the best chances of getting Sasuke back. Sasuke is trapped in darkness, like I was before you defeated me. Go." Neji said.

The team complied and left Neji behind.

* * *

By sunrise, the next day, they had caught up to the other Oto-nin.

Shikamaru and Kiba charged at Sakon.

"Taren Ken!" Sakon said as he punched them both multiple times in rapid successions.

After he got them out of the way, Sakon went for Naruto, who smirked.

Kiba appeared behind Naruto and pierced through him with a Tsuga. Naruto dispelled, being a Kage Bunshin, allowing the Tsuga to try and hit Sakon, who ducked at the last second.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru trapped Tayuya in the Kagemane no Jutsu, allowing Kiba, as he approached with the Tsuga, to grab the barrel that Sasuke must be in, as he was nowhere to be seen, and threw it at Naruto, who started fleeing with it.

"We got Sasuke, let's get out of here!" Kiba said as he and Shikamaru went to catch up to Naruto.

However, Sakon, who now had marks across his skin, quickly caught up to them. But he had walked into the explosive tags Akamaru had set up during the surprise attack. But Sakon trapped Akamaru with ninja wire right next to an explosive tag.

"Akamaru!" Kiba called out as he rushed to save his partner.

When the tag exploded, all three of them fell down into a crevice.

Tayuya approached the rest of the Konoha team.

"Naruto, go on ahead. I will deal with her." Shikamaru said.

However, Tayuya stopped before she could reach the team, to their confusion.

A tall figure with bone-white hair landed on the barrel behind the duo of Chunin and took it away.

"Kimimaro..." Tayuya said with fear.

"You've taken too much time." Kimimaro said. "Where are the others? We were the Sound Five."

"Why are you here?" Tayuya asked. "Your body..."

"My body is broken. I am moving by willpower." Kimimaro said. "But still, I must bring the new container to Orochimaru-sama." He said as he left with the barrel.

"Naruto, chase him." Shikamaru said.

Naruto didn't hesitate a second. Shikamaru will be all right.

* * *

Naruto caught up to Kimimaro on an open area.

"You understand I can't let you go just like that." Naruto said.

"Then how should I kill you?" Kimimaro asked more to himself than to Naruto as something came out of Kimimaro's left sleeve.

"Is that a bone?" Naruto couldn't help but ask.

"It is." Kimimaro confirmed. "I have the Kaguya Clan's Kekkei Genkai: Shikotsumyaku. By infusing the calcium in my body with my chakra, I can manipulate the bones in my body as I see fit. As such, my body as a seemingly limitless amount of bones, compared to everyone else. My whole body is a weapon, even more so than any other ninja."

That got Naruto's interest. Truly a terrifying ability. If he could kill this guy, his Kekkei Genkai would be a boon later on.

Naruto unsheathed Muramasa. "Shall we get started then?" He asked.

"If you are so eager to die, then so be it." Kimimaro said.

Naruto charged and Kimimaro tried to stab him, only for Muramasa to cut right through the bone needle and Kimimaro's arm by the length, to his shock. Both of them jumped away from each other.

"I had no idea there was a sword this sharp." Kimimaro said, uncaring of his limp, bleeding arm, although the bones inside were slowly mending. He then pulled out a bone sword from his left shoulder. "However, this isn't the hardest I can make my bones. Even a chakra-infused blade cannot cut through something stronger than steel."

Naruto charged again, infusing wind chakra to Muramasa's blade. The advantage to using wind was that it was especially useful when it came to slicing.

Muramasa and the bone sword clashed for a moment before the bone sword was cut through, to Kimimaro's shock. Naruto used this opportunity to stab Kimimaro, who coughed blood. The mark on his torso started spreading.

"If it hadn't been for the layer of bone armor under my skin, this would have been bad. But I cannot, will not, lose. I must bring this container to Orochimaru-sama." Kimimaro said as he jumped away from Naruto.

Kimimaro's skin darkened as the marks spread across his entire body. It was dark-grey, although it looked almost brownish compared to his greyed hair. His eye turned black and yellow, with black curved markings underneath his eyes. He had six bone spines sticking out of his back and a large dinosaur-like tail.

Kimimaro charged towards Naruto, using his two foremost bone spines like bull horns. He was noticeably slower than before.

It would be easy to do a vertical slice at his opponent's head, but Naruto was sure that's what Kimimaro was expecting. Kimimaro could easily sidestep, using one of his spines to deflect the sword before spinning to stab him with the second one.

When Kimimaro was a foot or two away from him, Naruto threw Muramasa in the air, 'grabbed the bull by the horns', fell backwards and threw Kimimaro behind him with the charge's strength and weight.

The moment he got up, Naruto caught Muramasa and charged towards the still falling Kimimaro, who turned his left arm into a giant bone drill and went for a stab. Naruto had to sidestep.

Landing on his feet, Kimimaro pulled a spinal cord from his back. It was as limp and elastic as a whip. He lashed out his whip and Naruto caught it with his free hand. Kimimaro pulled, bringing Naruto closer, and went for a stab. Naruto quickly landed one foot on the ground and jumped over the drill. He then tried to run around Kimimaro to trap him in his own whip, but the Kaguya started spinning around, making the whip spiral around Naruto's arm and shoulders. Kimimaro once again went for a stab, but Naruto crouched and kicked the drill over his head.

Having no other option, Naruto used his chains to restrain Kimimaro, who dropped the whip in shock. Now that he was free, Naruto charged and cut off Kimimaro's head.

Naruto raised an eyebrow when he got not only Kimimaro's soul, but also Orochimaru's. Was it the Cursed Mark?

Naruto was so focused in the fight, he hadn't noticed that the barrel was fuming, but he did hear the explosion.

Sasuke was chuckling as he looked at his stage two of the Cursed Mark. His skin was darker. His hair went down to his lower back and turned dark blue.

"Sasuke." Naruto called out.

"Naruto..." Sasuke said as he turned to face the blond, revealing the 4 branch star-shaped mark on the bridge of his nose. He then noticed Kimimaro's corpse. "Who's this?"

"A lackey of Orochimaru. Now, Sasuke, will you come back to the village with me or do I have to drag you?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke smirked. "I don't have time to play childish games with you and Konoha. I must become stronger to kill Itachi." He said as he sprouted wings that looked like webbed hands. He ran and jumped to fly away with his new wings. Naruto quickly gave chase until the Valley of The End. Sasuke landed on the head of Madara Uchiha's statue. Naruto landed on Hashirama's head.

"You're not getting any further without a fight, Sasuke!" Naruto called out.

Sasuke retracted the marks and turned to Naruto. There were still some marks on his face and his left eye was just like Kimimaro's.

"You're right." Sasuke said. "I have my own path. And I won't let anyone get in my way."

Naruto jumped the distance between both statues and the former teammates traded punches and kicks. The Cursed Mark really gave Sasuke a boost to his strength, Naruto noticed. The fight then continued on the nearby waters. Sasuke used the water-walking chakra exercise while Naruto used the Undine soul. Although there was little difference, Naruto didn't need to use chakra.

Sasuke made a Chidori and Naruto made a Fuuton: Rasengan. The Jutsus clashed, but Naruto overwhelmed Sasuke through elemental advantage, sending the latter flying backwards.

"For my Chidori to be pushed back when fully powered..." Sasuke trailed off as the marks spread across his skin. "A Jutsu that is on even ground with the Chidori and having the advantage with his wind affinity. This mark better give me the power to defeat him or else I'm back to square 1!"

Naruto discarded his coat. He had no idea of how much of a boost Sasuke receives through the seal, so it was prudent to do so. Speed wouldn't be enough, however. He flared Kyuubi's chakra.

Sasuke's eyes widened as his Sharingan saw the Kyuubi's chakra. _This_ was what Itachi was after? He would need the full power of the second state, he could feel it.

"So this is the power sealed within you..." Sasuke trailed off as the marks covered his entire body and he made a Chidori that had a dark gleam and sounded like flapping wings instead of chirping birds. "Even with this, however, I am more special than you."

Naruto stayed silent before looking at the statues of Konoha's co-founders. "For such a fight to happen at the Valley of The End is quite the irony." He said.

Sasuke smirked. "You're right. It's the perfect stage for us. Let's finish this... NARUTO!" He yelled as he charged.

Naruto made a Rasengan mixed with Kyuubi's chakra and his own, giving a purple color, as he also rushed forward.

The clash of Jutsu made a massive orb of chakra around the two of them. After the orb imploded, both of them were knocked back.

The two of them stared at each other from each side of the valley. Even in this distance, Naruto could see it. The intensity of the battle allowed Sasuke's Sharingan to fully mature.

Sasuke ran up to the top of Madara's statue and used the altitude to fly. The height allowed him to avoid any chains sent at him.

Naruto cursed. After all of this, Sasuke managed to get away. There was nothing more he could do.

"Naruto-kun..." He heard behind him.

"Shouldn't you be recovering, Lee?" Naruto asked as Lee stepped next to him.

"No need to worry." Lee said as he looked at Sasuke's flying silhouette. "It looks like I won't end up fighting." One of his hands balled into a fist. "Although, if I had fully recovered, I could have opened the Eight Gates and help fight Sasuke-kun without getting in your way."

"Don't worry about it." Naruto said as he and Lee left the area.

* * *

On the way back, he saw the area where he fought Kimimaro. There, he met up with Gaara, of all people.

"Naruto..." Gaara greeted.

"Gaara, I'm surprised to see you here." Naruto admitted.

"As allies of Konoha, we received a request to assist your team on your mission. Temari and Kankuro are aiding some of your comrades."

They rushed to Shikamaru's location, only to see Temari kill Tayuya by summoning a sickle-wielding weasel that cut everything around him while riding the wind made by Temari's fan.

"Holy shit." Naruto said, catching Shikamaru and Temari's attention.

"Sasuke got away?" Shikamaru asked.

"His Cursed Mark went into a second stage that allowed him to fly. Being high above the ground allowed him to evade my chains." Naruto said.

Shikamaru sighed.

* * *

Eventually, Kankuro, along with a medic squad carrying Kiba and Akamaru, joined the group and they all headed to Konoha. They met up with Kakashi on the way, who asked where Sasuke was. Naruto explained the situation and Kakashi looked grim.

The mission was reported a failure, but everyone made it out alive, barely, in Choji and Neji's case. Sakura was devastated that Sasuke wasn't back in the village. Jiraiya also came to Naruto and made him his apprentice. He also said Akatsuki would be taking a two-to-three year break.

* * *

A couple of days later, Jiraiya came to Naruto with an S-rank mission. Sakura was planning to leave the village to chase Sasuke. They are to meet up with her before she leaves and assist her. If they don't catch up to her fast enough, she would become a Nuke-nin.

Fortunately, they caught up to her in a flash.

"What could you possibly do alone?" Naruto asked behind her, making her turn around in shock.

"N-Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"If you couldn't stop him by yourself here in Konoha, you'll only get yourself killed by trying the same in enemy territory." Naruto warned.

"But I have to get Sasuke back!" Sakura argued.

Naruto sighed. "You're so lucky this turned into a mission."

Sakura blinked in confusion. "A mission?"

"That's right." Jiraiya said, suddenly appearing. Sakura was awed at meeting another member of the Sannin. "We are to investigate Ta no Kuni, where Otogakure no Sato, and Sasuke, is said to be situated."

* * *

By dawn, they had reached Ta no Kuni.

"It seems like a calm and peaceful land to me." Sakura commented.

"We aren't even reached Oto yet." Jiraiya said. "This is Ta no Kuni. The Daimyo needed military power and allowed Orochimaru to make a base of operation in this country when that snake came with an offer."

They eventually reached a post town. Jiraiya then said he would need money for his investigation. Naruto stopped Sakura as she pulled out her wallet.

"This old pervert will spend it all on sake and girls in bars, don't waste your money. Besides, he's the author of Icha Icha Paradise, he has more than enough money." Naruto said, causing Sakura to put away her wallet.

* * *

While Jiraiya 'investigated' in the town, Naruto and Sakura waited for him in the outskirts of town, as he ordered.

After waiting a while, some kunai were thrown at them. A masked ninja revealed himself.

"So, Orochimaru already sent someone after us, huh?" Naruto said.

"You mean, you're not subordinates of Orochimaru?" The masked ninja, whose voice revealed was female, asked. She then used a smoke bomb and ran away.

"Naruto!" Jiraiya's voice echoed in the area. They looked in the direction it was coming from and saw the Sage himself running away from armed people. Bar bouncers, Naruto imagined.

Naruto sighed and pulled out Muramasa. He charged, deflected the bouncers' weapons with his katana and knocked them out. Nothing would be gained from killing them.

"Are you so drunk that you are worthless against barely-trained civilians? I'm honestly reconsidering your offer of apprenticeship."

"Don't say that, gaki. I trained the Yondaime, who trained Kakashi." Jiraiya said. "You'll go far with my training. I already taught you the Yondaime's Rasengan, remember? You even surpassed the Yondaime when it comes to that Jutsu!"

Sakura was shocked at Jiraiya's words and remembered Kakashi's praise. _"That's right, Naruto did something better than the Yondaime. I knew he was strong, but... First Sasuke-kun with Kakashi-sensei's Chidori and now Naruto with one of the Yondaime's original Jutsu?" _She truly felt like she didn't belong in the former team.

"So, who were those people and why were they chasing you?" Naruto asked, despite knowing the answer.

"It was a thousand times too pricey for the quality!" Jiraiya claimed.

Naruto sighed and Sakura realized that her teammate was right about Jiraiya earlier.

* * *

As they reached another town, they saw that it was much more violent than the last one.

While Jiraiya went back to his 'investigation', Naruto and Sakura bought something to eat and went back to a shrine they walked by.

On their way, the masked ninja from earlier rushed out the bushes, injured. Kunai were thrown at her, but Naruto blocked them with Muramasa. A man appeared and tried to slice him with some scissor-like pincers, only for Naruto to Kawarimi with the masked ninja. Sakura did the same as she fought another ninja.

They escaped to the shrine. The masked ninja tried to escape, but she was injured.

"I have ointment. Show me your wound." Sakura said.

The masked ninja looked at Naruto before looking away. Naruto got the message.

"I'll keep watch outside." Naruto said as he walked out.

* * *

Moments later, Sakura called Naruto back in. The ninja had removed her mask, revealing her long orange hair.

"My name is Sasame Fuma." She introduced herself. "The people who were chasing me are Oto-nin serving under a man named Orochimaru. I am sorry for mistaking you for Oto-nin last time."

"We are looking for Orochimaru. Please, tell us what you know." Sakura requested.

"It all began when the Daimyo wanted to expand the country's territory. He tried to do so by attacking a neighboring country. Since our country's ninja are so low in numbers, it was only natural that we'd lose. The ninja clans all fell in ruins, including my clan of Fuma. Some ninja left the country and became thieves. Even so, we, of the Fuma clan, believed in the revival of our clan and continued to live in the shadows. Eventually, a messenger from Oto came to us. He said that Orochimaru was interested in our techniques and that we could join him, depending on our efforts. My cousin, Arashi-niichan, was the light of hope for the clan's revival. He went with the messenger as a representative of the Fuma clan. We waited to hear word from him, but..." Sasame trailed off.

"Nothing?" Naruto guessed.

Sasame nodded. "But I will save Arashi-niichan! I may be small, weak and a burden in ninja training, but Arashi-niichan always helped me. Everyone in the village gave up on me, so I went to Oto alone."

"So that's why you were being chased." Sakura realized.

Just then, a spider fell from the ceiling. Naruto and Sakura looked up to see an armada of spiders covering the ceiling.

"Were we being followed?" Naruto wondered as he went outside. The whole place was covered in spider webs.

"Ninpo: Kazaku Gumo." A voice echoed. "My cute children made a road of silver threads and showed me the way to you guys! We will have to take care of you guys, now that you're informed of the situation."

"Ninpo: Arijigoku no Jutsu!" Another voice called out as the entire shrine started sinking into the ground.

A hunchback man appearing from the ground and was about to throw some shuriken at Naruto, but Naruto appeared before him and swiped Muramasa at his enemy. The hunchback jumped up in the air to dodge, stopping the Jutsu. But Naruto jumped just as high and attacked again and made a gaping wound on the man before kicking him away. Two more men jumped out of hiding and carried the hunchback away.

"I was about to help, but you didn't need any." Jiraiya said as he appeared next to Naruto. "Where's Sakura?"

"In the shrine with a Fuma ninja who was being chased by those three." Naruto said as Sakura and Sasame walked out of the shrine.

"Oh? Is this the Fuma ninja?" Jiraiya asked as he looked at Sasame.

"Back off, pervert." Sakura said. Sasame hid behind Sakura when she heard the title Sakura gave Jiraiya.

"Woah there, I'm only interested in mature women!" Jiraiya said quickly, waving his hands frantically.

Sakura then introduced Sasame and explained her story to Jiraiya.

"The Fuma clan, huh?" Jiraiya said. "I encountered some fugitives from the Fuma clan while doing some information gathering."

"More bar bouncers?" Naruto deadpanned.

Jiraiya ignored Naruto's comment. "The boss was called Hanzaki."

"Hanzaki and his group are traitors." Sasame said. "Did they do anything?"

"Other then trying to steal my money, no. But after beating them up, I asked them about Orochimaru's hideout, but they didn't know anything."

"I can guide you guys there." Sasame said.

* * *

Sasame led the three to a bunch of mountains, where she said Orochimaru's hideout was deep within. Jiraiya, being hungry, suggested they eat before risking combat within the enemy hideout. Naruto and Sakura complied while Sasame seemed reluctant, but said she would make tea as she made a campfire further away.

Sasame returned and gave everyone their tea. They all took a swig and fell unconscious.

Sasame shot a flare in the air and waited until two guys appeared before her.

"Did you succeed?" The first guy asked.

"As you can see, all three of them are here." Sasame said.

"Good work." The second guy said.

"You will let me see Arashi-niichan now, right?" Sasame asked.

"After we finish them off, yes." The second guy said as he walked closer.

"But you said they would be taken to Orochimaru-sama for inspection!" Sasame said.

"Their heads are enough." He said.

Sasame stood in his way, but was knocked aside. Before she hit the rock, Naruto caught her.

"The drug didn't work!?" The second guy asked.

"We saw it coming a mile away." Naruto said as the Kage Bunshin that served as bait dispersed.

Sakura appeared next to Naruto and took the unconscious Sasame from him. Naruto approached the two men.

"You guys need to be taught a lesson." He said as he pulled out Muramasa.

"Sasame helped of her own free will." The second guy said.

"After you fed her a lie." Naruto countered.

"All for the resurrection of the Fuma Clan!" The man said as he charged.

But he was too slow for Naruto, who gave him a bleeding wound to the upper body.

The other one tried running away, but Jiraiya appeared before him, spit the tea at his face and used a Rasengan on him.

Naruto blocked a kunai that came from the newly-arrived third member.

"Seeking revenge for that wound?" Naruto asked.

"Your Jutsu will be useless in this rocky area." Jiraiya said.

"True." The hunchback said. "When an ant-lion larva emerges from the ground and spreads its wings from its shell, it shines for an instant. That's when it dies as a Mayfly!"

He then turned into shed skin and a female figure rose. She also sprouted chakra wings.

"Orochimaru-sama promised the clan a place where the sun will shine again." She said. "For that, I plan to use this Jutsu that I can use only once in my life..." She then rose in the air and made some handsigns. "Kagero Ninpo: Utakata."

Her wings lengthened and attacked Naruto and Jiraiya, who brought Naruto closer to him and used the Gamaguchi Shibari to protect themselves.

"This disgusting Jutsu again?" Naruto asked.

"If I hadn't summoned that, I wouldn't have been able to block her chakra." Jiraiya said as he cancelled the summoning.

They looked up to the girl, who turned into a flash of light before falling on her allies and teleporting away.

Later, Jiraiya explained that he saw through Sasame's ploy when she called Hanzaki a traitor. But Hanzaki told him that the ninja who left Orochimaru after seeing his true self were branded traitors. Sasame was about use a kunai on herself, but Jiraiya slapped the kunai away. Jiraiya told Sasame to guide them to Orochimaru's hideout before going to Hanzaki's side. Sasame happily accepted. This was a much better fate than expected.

* * *

After Sasame guided the trio to the entrance of Orochimaru's hideout, Jiraiya summoned a small orange toad named Gamakichi to scout ahead. As they followed Gamakichi, the base was simply too quiet. They ended up in a room that split off into three different ways. Naruto and Sakura went to the middle, Jiraiya to the right and Gamakichi to the left.

Naruto and Sakura were careful for any trap in the corridor. Naruto jumped back as he almost fell into a trap door. They walked a different direction. It was so dark they had to take a candle to see around them. They eventually reached a large room with a lot of pillars.

"Good work making it this far, Naruto-kun, Sakura-san." They heard a voice.

"Kabuto." Naruto said, shocking Sakura.

Kabuto walked closer, revealing himself.

"I'm not surprised you made it here, Naruto-kun, though I wonder if Sakura-san would have been able to, on her own." He said. "After all, she was the one holding the team back. She's quite pathetic compared to you and Sasuke-kun."

"Where is Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, trying her best to ignore Kabuto's words.

"You should be worried about Jiraiya-sama instead. He may not be in this world anymore." Kabuto said.

"You should be careful not to underestimate someone who is on equal footing with Orochimaru." Naruto said.

"True. Well, I'd love to stay and have my revenge for the humiliating defeat you gave me, Naruto-kun, but I mustn't keep Orochimaru-sama waiting." Kabuto said.

They then heard Orochimaru's chuckles as he walked closer.

Sakura was scared simply by seeing him close.

"Poor girl." Orochimaru mocked. "She's trembling like a pup. She truly does not fit in a team alongside two powerful boys like Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun. Kabuto, end her suffering." He said as he walked away.

"Yes." Kabuto said as he walked closer to the duo.

"Wait!" Sakura called out." Where is Sasuke-kun!? Tell me you haven't taken over his body yet!"

"Normally, we would have made you believe that he couldn't handle the seal, but Naruto-kun saw him using the seal's full power. He would have seen right through the lie. You are quite the problem, gaki." Orochimaru said as he walked out of the room.

"What a shame, really, I would have loved to see the horror on your face, Sakura-san." Kabuto smirked.

"Naruto-san! Sakura-san!" They heard Sasame call out as she and Gamakichi ran up to them.

"Sasame..." Kabuto sighed. "Now that you're here, my techniques won't work." 'Kabuto' pulled on his face's skin, which was a mask, and revealed the winged girl from earlier.

"Kagero-sama." Sasame said. "But your Jutsu..."

"I was revived by Orochimaru-sama." Kagero smiled.

"Where's Sasuke-kun!?" Sakura asked.

"And Arashi-niichan?" Sasame asked.

"If you want to see Arashi, go through that door." Kagero pointed at the door Orochimaru went through. "But I would advise not to. You may not like what you see."

"What about you?" Sasame asked.

"Me? I wanted to fight for Orochimaru-sama, but I know I am outmatched." Kagero said as she looked at Naruto. "I cannot defeat you. This I knew after our first encounter. I simply desire the revival of the Fuma clan."

"Orochimaru doesn't care about any desire but his own. To trust your future in his hands is dangerous." Naruto said.

"Perhaps... Go. Go see Arashi, if that's what you want. I won't stand in your way." Kagero said.

However, the door opened and revealed Orochimaru.

"So you _are_ here, Sasame." Orochimaru said, pulling the mask that was his face to reveal Arashi Fuma.

"Arashi-niichan!" Sasame said as she ran to hug him, but Arashi stopped her.

"I am no longer Arashi." Arashi said as he turned into a monstrosity.

His skin darkened and he grew a large bump on his back that had the face of the Kagero's former comrades.

"The bodies and Jutsu of the Fuma Jonin have become one within me." Arashi said. "I have been reborn to become the strongest ninja. Now, I will show you my strongest Jutsu."

Naruto stepped forward.

"Ah, Naruto-kun... I have been warned about you." Arashi said. "But you cannot defeat me."

"Arashi-niichan!" Sasame called out.

"The old Arashi is dead!" Arashi said. "The one in front of you is just a lump of meat kept alive by Ninpo: Shisha Ku'utsu! Jigumo, attack!"

One of the faces grew arms and attacked Naruto, who jumped away to dodge.

Sasame tried to stop this, but Sakura knocked her out and she, along with Gamakichi, ran away while carrying her.

Jigumo spat out spider webs to restrain Naruto, but the blond pulled out Muramasa and cut the webs.

"Kamikiri!" Arashi called out as the second face grew an arm and attack with the scissor-like pincers. Naruto dodged and cut off the hand, making Kamikiri's face scream.

Sasame, who regained consciousness, ran towards her cousin. She jumped and stabbed Jigumo, "Please go back to the way you were before, Arashi-niichan."

Arashi grabbed Sasame by her clothes. "I told you the old Arashi is dead!"

However, Jigumo's face lost its power and Arashi gasped. After a moment, he put Sasame down. "I'm sorry, Sasame. I wanted power. I wanted to be powerful enough to revive the clan."

"I know you did." Sasame said. "But you're back. Let's go home."

Arashi shook his head. "I can't. I'm a monster."

"You're not!" Sasame said.

"This form hurts." Arashi said. "Sasame... Kill me."

However, Kamikiri's eyes started glowing and Arashi returned to his monstrous personality.

Arashi picked up the dropped Scissor-pincers and attacked Sasame, only for Naruto to block them with Muramasa.

"You..." Arashi growled.

"You came to your senses when one face was destroyed." Naruto said. "Let's do that again, shall we?" He said as he cut right through the pincers and kamikiri's arm. Kamikiri's face screamed and melted, giving Arashi complete control of his body and returning him to his normal form.

"Arashi-niichan!" Sasame called out.

"I'm sorry, Sasame." Arashi said. "I made you suffer, didn't I?"

"That's not true! The one who was suffering the most is you!" Sasame said. "But...you're all right now, right?"

"I...am not. The Jutsu that merged Kamikiri and Jigumo to me will take me over again. I cannot live anymore." Arashi said.

"Don't say that!" Sasame cried.

"Please...you must kill me." Arashi said.

Suddenly, a giant toad crashed through the ceiling with Jiraiya on its back.

"Sorry for the delay. I had my own problem to deal with." He said as he looked at the unconscious extra passenger, a woman he fought.

"Naruto-kun. Orochimaru gave us an order: To keep Sasuke away from Konoha. Orochimaru needs to protect Sasuke as his next container to transfer into him in three years." Arashi said.

Naruto looked at Sakura, who nodded and dragged a struggling Sasame away.

"Arashi-niichan!" Sasame called out.

"Sasame, do you want me to turn back into this?" Arashi said looking down at Kamikiri and Jigumo, who were clinging to him to control him again. "I must die to be free from Orochimaru's control."

Sasame looked away, crying.

Arashi looked at Kagero, who had stayed away from the entire fight. "Kagero, can you look after Sasame for me?" He said.

Kagero nodded.

Arashi closed his eyes, awaiting his liberation. Everyone closed their eyes in respect for the young man. Naruto brought Muramasa up before bringing it down. The sound of a blade cutting through flesh echoed in the room, making Sasame sob even more. Everyone, including Gamakichi and Kagero, climbed on the large toad, which jumped through the hole in the ceiling to reach the outside.

* * *

The next day, the team prepare to leave as what was left of the Fuma clan saw them off.

"Well, we couldn't find Sasuke, but we've found out he's alive." Jiraiya said. "Knowing we have three years to find him is good enough for now."

Sakura nodded in agreement as she sulked in the fact that she once again depended on Naruto instead of doing her part. But no more, she would ask Tsunade for apprenticeship.

Naruto and Jiraiya. Sasuke and Orochimaru. Sakura and Tsunade. Each member of Team 7 would receive training from a member of the Sannin.

**And done! Hope you all enjoy this long chapter! Kimimaro's defeat by Naruto was actually a recent addition. I did it because I wanted Dracula to get a piece of Orochimaru's soul early for a specific reason, but that won't be relevant for a while.**

**So, with that, until next time!**


	8. Chapter 8: Unnatural powers

**Hey... yeah, this chapter was originally a little over 5000 words, but I decided to, once again, combine two chapters, since they were mostly filler arcs. Enjoy!**

**Ultima-owner: That's a pretty good idea. Unfortunately, I don't think Orochimaru is a legitimate sensor. That, or the Cursed Seals having a Hive Mind, could have done the trick. Then again, if the seals had a Hive Mind, Orochimaru would have realized Kimimaro's defeat, both in canon and here. He only suspected it after Kimimaro didn't return on time. I think a candle was used to represent Kimimaro's lifespan.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 8: Unnatural powers**

Naruto was relaxing in Training Ground 7. But that moment was interrupted by a surprise visitor.

"How's it going, Kyuubi brat?" The familiar man in front of him asked.

"It's been a while, Mizuki." Naruto said. "A year, if I remember right. You certainly put on some muscles since then."

It was true. Mizuki was quite bulky compared to last time.

"I'm not the only one who's changed, it seems. I heard you're quite the hero. It disgusts me that the village can't see you for what you are!" Mizuki scowled.

"And you risked getting into the village to get revenge against me?" Naruto asked.

"Don't worry about me getting found out, I have friends that will hold people off." Mizuki smirked.

"Is that right? Well then, since you're so desperate to be beaten to a pulp, I'll comply." Naruto said as he pulled out Muramasa.

"Wielding a sword now, huh? Won't do you much good." Mizuki said as he pulled out a kunai.

Both charged and clashed blades. Muramasa cut through the kunai and made a bleeding wound on Mizuki's upper body.

Mizuki backed away upon receiving the wound, but Naruto didn't hesitate in kicking him in the face.

"You hit much harder than you did a year ago..." Mizuki said as he got up and held his bruising cheek. He pulled out bottle filled with red liquid. "I was right to make this before coming here. Good thing the Nara Labs had all the ingredients needed."

He drank the content of the bottle before dropping it on the ground. He grew in size and in muscles, tiger stripes appeared on his face and biceps in a similar fashion to the Cursed Mark.

"So, Orochimaru was behind what you did back then." Naruto said.

"I wouldn't say 'behind'. I wanted to take the Forbidden Scroll to him as an offering." Mizuki said. "Be honored. You'll be my first kill in this form!" He said as he charged with greater speed than before.

Naruto jumped aside from Mizuki's punch, making him hit the ground. From the dent of the ground, he also gained a lot of strength.

"You're not the only one who can go faster." Naruto said as he discarded his coat.

Both of them charged at each other. Naruto had the speed advantage, considering Mizuki's size did not help his mobility. Naruto swept Mizuki's legs and kicked him in the air. He jumped and was about to use Muramasa on Mizuki, but the criminal twisted himself to dodge and landed on the ground.

"This isn't enough..." Mizuki growled to himself. "I underestimated you last time, fox brat, and I almost did it again. Not anymore." He roared and went into a second stage. He looked like a humanoid tiger. "Shall we?"

"I've seen enough of Orochimaru's doings to know that such things have dangerous side effects." Naruto said. "I wonder what will become of you..."

Mizuki snarled and charged. His new form made him lose a lot of speed. Naruto dodged again and the ground had an even larger crater than with Mizuki's dent on the ground. More strength for the sacrifice of speed.

"Strength alone isn't power, Mizuki." Naruto said as he dodged Mizuki's attacks and swiped Muramasa at Mizuki with every dodge. By the end, Mizuki had a lot of bleeding wounds.

"Damn fox brat... Even with this power..." Mizuki growled.

At that moment, two large men were thrown in the training ground. Tsunade calmly walked up to the large men she finger-flicked in the training ground.

"I sure met you in a weird place, Raijin, Fujin." Tsunade said to the men.

Team 10, along with Iruka, followed after Tsunade. They all noticed Naruto and...

"Mizuki?" Iruka asked in shock.

"Hey there, Iruka." Mizuki grinned sadistically, despite his injuries.

"_That's_ Mizuki-sensei!?" Ino asked with disbelief.

"Good job handling Mizuki, Naruto." Tsunade said.

"He was too slow for me, especially after he revealed this tiger form." Naruto shrugged.

"You damn brat..." Mizuki growled, but fell on his knees and cried out in pain. He shrunk in size and his skin wrinkled until he looked four times his age. "What's...happening to me!?"

"And there's the side effect I was talking about." Naruto said.

"Your cells are destroying themselves." Tsunade explained. "All because the medicine you made, according to its recipe, was incomplete."

"That's a lie!" Mizuki yelled. "It's the Kyuubi brat's fault! I know it is!"

Naruto sighed and turned to the confused Team 10. "The Yondaime didn't kill the Kyuubi, he sealed it within me. As you can tell from hearing Mizuki, there are people who see me as the Kyuubi in human form."

"That's stupid." Ino said. "Sure, you have cute whiskers on your cheeks, but there's nothing else that proves that you're the fox in human form." Shikamaru and Choji nodded in agreement, except for the cute part.

"Regardless, this is a beyond S-rank secret. If you reveal this to anyone, the consequences will be dire." Tsunade warned. Team 10 nodded in acknowledgement.

Later, Mizuki and the Legendary Stupid Brothers (Naruto snorted when he heard the nickname) were taken back to prison. He had heard that every inmate had escaped, but were recaptured with the exception of Mizuki and the brothers. Thankfully, the brothers returned after being scared by Tsunade and Mizuki couldn't struggle.

* * *

A few days later, Naruto was summoned to the Hokage Office. Inside were Team 8, except Kurenai due to being injured during the inmates' escape, Tsunade and Shizune. Hinata blushed when she saw Naruto enter.

"You called for me?" Naruto asked.

"I did." Tsunade said. "Shino said he may find a bug that can help us find Sasuke. I want you to assist them."

"Yes, Ma'am!" Naruto said.

* * *

After taking some time to gather some preparations, and something of Sasuke's in his old apartment, Naruto met with Team 8 at the entrance. Shino told him that the bug in question could possibly evolve to a specific stage during the mission and they would need something with Sasuke's scent right away.

In two days, they reached their destination. They had to climb down a cliff to reach the Bikouchu Forest, as Shino said it was called. As they walked in the forest, they saw all kinds of bugs.

Shino showed the others a picture of a female Bikouchu, with the main characteristic being its head; it had an elephant-like trunk.

During the search, Shino, Kiba, and Hinata found out that there were people concealing their presence and observing them. After all, all three of them have techniques useful for tracking someone or something. Naruto and Team 8 agreed to wait and see, otherwise conflict might put the Bikouchu in danger.

During sundown, Naruto told Shino he found a bug that looked like Bikouchu, but was way bigger than a horse. Shino said it was called Bikouchumo and that they were very vicious. If you touch its nose, it may try to eat you.

* * *

During the second day, they made no progress and the observers hadn't made a move yet. By the third day, the trackers of the group felt that it would rain sometime during this day. Shino said they had until the next morning to find Bikouchu.

Unfortunately, they didn't find anything before it rained. Fortunately, Hinata's Byakugan was advantageous in the rain, as the environment's temperature dropped, making plants and animals more visible to her.

She found the Bikouchu, which was on a tree close by. Naruto, with his speed, easily caught the bug and put it in a container, provided by Shino.

"No mistake about it." Shino said. "That's a female Bikouchu."

Knowing the capture mission was a success, they headed for the cliff to leave. But before they could leave, they were attacked by the observers. They were Iwa Shinobi.

"How unfortunate." The girl of the group said. "We were hoping to capture one of you and exchange them with the Bikouchu, but you never left each other's sides. Still, we can deal you all easily." She went through some handsigns. "Ninpo: Hachimitsu no Jutsu!" A large swarm of bees charged to the Konoha-nin.

Naruto stepped in front of the team and cut down the bees with Muramasa. But every time he cut a bee, some sticky honey would get on him and make it harder for him to move.

"It's no use." The girl smirked. "This honey is strong enough to immobilize you."

Naruto chuckled, to everyone's confusion. "Good thing I have just the thing to get me out of this." He said as he flared Kyuubi's chakra. The corrosive chakra quickly melted the honey.

"A Jinchuuriki?" The glass-wearing male said, confusing Team 8 with the title. "He looks skilled as well."

"Suzumebachi, we don't stand a chance against a Jinchuuriki." The other male said.

The girl, Suzumebachi, cursed. She hated to admit it, but it was true. Jinchuuriki, due to using their tenants' power, were very powerful. That was why they were always in the frontlines during the wars. They also had his allies to consider. An Aburame, a Hyuuga and an Inuzuka. She wasn't sure if her summon could handle them all.

The Iwa team had no choice but to retreat.

Naruto sighed, knowing he had to explain this again. He turned to Team 8. "What I used was the Kyuubi no Kitsune's chakra, sealed within me by the Yondaime Hokage."

"Wait, so the Yondaime didn't kill the Kyuubi?" Kiba asked.

"He did not." Naruto said. "For what reason he sealed it within me, I don't know." He lied. "At any rate, you shouldn't say anything about this. This is a beyond S-rank secret."

Team 8 nodded and they all headed back to Konoha.

* * *

By dawn, the Bikouchu laid an egg. By the time they made it back to the village, it became a pupa and was about to an adult Bikouchu. They placed the belonging of Sasuke that Naruto brought with him, a shirt, and waited until the insect smelled the shirt. Strangely enough, the Bikouchu went inside the village and into Sasuke's apartment. Naruto sighed, having a theory.

"During the mission to get Sasuke back, he was in a barrel, probably for some sort of ritual to access the second stage of the Cursed Mark. The ritual probably changed his scent as well, alongside adjusting his body to the Mark and some other things. Since the Bikouchu couldn't find the source, it went for what had a similar scent."

Team 8 altogether sighed at this. When they reported the mission, Sakura was even more devastated. They had been so close.

* * *

A few days later, while walking along a river, Naruto found three unconscious men floating on the water. He carried all three of them to the hospital. Unknown to him, Lee saw him and started redoubling his training.

In the hospital, they explained their predicament to Tsunade. Apparently, a family took over their village and killed for no reason. Tsunade sent Team Guy, except Guy due to having another mission, and Naruto on the mission to escort the men back to their village, and get rid of the invading Kurosuki Family.

When they recovered, the three men guided the team to their village.

* * *

They eventually arrived in a curry shop that Lee was familiar with. The old lady tending to the shop even remembered him.

"Sanshou-obaasan's curry saved my life." Lee said as they waited for the food Sanshou was cooking. "It was around the time I became a Genin. Guy-sensei was teaching me offensive and defensive moves."

"Ah, yes. I remember those days." Sanshou said. "Lee-san and his sensei were jogging along the road. Eventually, they jogged by the shop again, sleep-jogging. That was a surprising sight, indeed. By the third day, Lee collapsed. My son, Karashi, and I tried to wake him up, but to no avail. Even my curry couldn't wake him up. Karashi and I then made an even spicier curry, which woke him right up." She said as she gave them all a plate of curry.

"Since Sanshou-obaasan put all her efforts making this, let's eat!" Lee said enthusiastically. "Itadakimasu!" Lee took the first bite while everyone watched intently. It was so hot, his face was glowing pink. "So good! The spice is perfect!" He then started eating with gusto.

Naruto didn't take any chances. He focused a bit of Kyuubi's chakra on his tongue to heal whatever burns he would get and started eating.

"_Holy shit, it's burning hot!"_ He thought. He highly doubted he would be able to eat this if he couldn't heal his tongue. Lee was a tough guy indeed.

The others weren't so lucky. Tenten and Neji were red in the face from the heat and the three civilians fell face first on the table.

"By the way, where is Karashi-kun?" Lee asked.

Sanshou slumped. "After seeing you train so hard, Karashi became a happy and energetic boy. But he became so energetic that he left the village. I suppose it's my fault for always saying he should be stronger. 'I will become a man! I will enter the Kurosuki Clan!' he said."

Lee's eyes were shadowed by his hair. "It's my responsibility." He turned to Naruto. "Naruto-kun! Please add Karashi-kun's retrieval to the mission objective!"

Naruto nodded. "Of course."

Sanshou was relieved.

"From now on, this place will be our meeting point. We shall observe the village, make a plan and put it into action." The trio of Genin agreed. Naruto turned to their clients. "It would be best if you remained here. You may get in trouble if you're found out." The three of them stayed silent.

* * *

That night, however, one of the three clients, Rokusuke, disappeared. Apparently, he went back to the village on his own. Because of the man's recklessness, the team had no choice but to attack now.

By morning, they reached the village.

They found the people being enslaved into mining workers.

When an old man collapsed because the work was too much for him, four members of the Kurosuki clan threatened the old man with a funeral. Lee charged in and knocked the four members out.

"What have you done...?" The old man asked when the team landed next to Lee.

A bell sounded soon after.

"Have we been found already?" Tenten wondered.

"No... It's the Funeral Bell." The old man said.

"Funeral?" Neji asked.

"The Kurosuki family rules this village. Their boss, Raiga, makes funerals for those who have betrayed them while they're still alive."

"Buried alive!?" Tenten gasped.

"The worst part is... Raiga cries and grieves openly every time."

"Whose funeral is it?" Naruto asked.

"I hear Rokusuke was found and captured." The old man said.

The team quickly rushed to the graveyard and hid.

Neji used the Byakugan to see through the soon-to-be-buried coffin. "The old man spoke true. Inside the coffin is Rokusuke, still alive. There's still time to save him."

The team threw smoke bombs at the Kurosuki clan members surrounding the coffin. Most removed their cloaks and prepared for combat while one ran away and hid in fear.

Each Konoha-nin quickly and flawlessly took out the members before them. Tenten used a staff to knock out those surrounding her. Neji knocked them out with the Juken. Naruto and Lee also used Taijutsu to knock them out.

The last one was cowering in fear. He tried to step back, but tripped. His hood fell from his head and revealed his face.

"Karashi-kun?" Lee asked. "Please tell me you joined the Kurosuki Family of your own free will, like Sanshou-obaasan said."

"So what if I did?" Karashi asked. "Raiga-sama is a great man. He freed the village from the evil people!"

"And makes the people work in the mines and buries people alive." Naruto countered.

"Naruto-kun... Leave this to me." Lee requested. Naruto stepped back and used the opportunity to free Rokusuke. "Karashi-kun, didn't you save my life with the Curry of Life? Why would you, who can make such wonderful curry, join a family that takes people's lives?"

"No one praises you for making curry." Karashi said bluntly. "Since I was born a man in this world, I must gain power and use it to control Heaven and Earth! It's better than working in a store that's falling apart and rarely has any customer."

Lee punched Karashi in the face, sending him to the ground.

"Karashi-kun, it wasn't just my life that was saved by the curry that you and Sanshou-obaasan made. If you put your whole heart into it and make a lot of curry, you can save lives. Even for a person like myself, if I put all of my heart into it, nothing is impossible. That's what you taught me after I ate that curry. I see the Karashi-kun of back then as someone stronger and better than the Karashi-kun in front of me."

At the end of the speech, Karashi was crying.

"Please, promise me that you'll leave the Kurosuki family." Lee requested.

Karashi bowed to Lee. "I understand. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"

"We're being watched." Neji suddenly said. "Most likely, it's Raiga. On top of that mountain."

They climbed the mountain and reached the top. A mist suddenly appeared.

"Everyone, be careful." Naruto warned. "For a mist like this to appear so suddenly away from water, this is definitely the Kirigakure no Jutsu."

"Very good." A male voice echoed through the mist.

"Guy-sensei said that Raiga Kurosuki was once a member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist." Lee said as he read through a notebook in which he wrote whatever advice Guy gave him.

"And this Guy-sensei of yours would be right." Raiga said.

"The Sharingan was useful during the last mission my team had to deal with this Jutsu. Neji, what can you see with your Byakugan?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing..." Neji said, shocking the team. "I can't see a thing!"

"I thought no Jutsu could block the Byakugan." Naruto said.

"There isn't supposed to be any." Neji said.

"Ninpo: Ikazuchi no Kiba!" Raiga called out.

The team saw lightning crackling in front of them before shooting up in the sky, which became filled with thunder clouds.

"Ikazuchi, surge!" Raiga said as he dropped a lightning bolt on the team, destroying the part of the mountain they were standing on. Fortunately, they all managed to jump down the mountain before they were hit.

"_The enemy was so close, yet I couldn't see anything. Even the Kirigakure no Jutsu shouldn't be able to interfere with the Byakugan."_ Neji thought as he reactivated the Byakugan. This time, he could see clearly. There were enemies around them. He told his comrades their location and they all attacked but the enemies disappeared. They were illusions. Neji rechecked the surroundings with his Byakugan and they were still there. Illusions with chakra pathways?

They were suddenly all hit by lightning, knocking them unconscious.

Raiga jumped down to the group and was about to finish Lee off first, but the Genin sleep-fought Raiga.

Naruto regained consciousness during the fight and got up. Neji and Tenten also regained consciousness.

"Raiga! Make your move!" A young voice called out.

Raiga tried to cut down Lee, but unconscious fighter dodged and kicked Raiga on the bump on his back. A cocoon of cloth was ripped out of Raiga's cloak.

"Raiga!" A voice inside the cocoon called out.

"Ranmaru!" Raiga cried out as he ran toward the cocoon, knocking Lee aside. When he couldn't find Ranmaru in the mist, he became enraged and turned to the newly-conscious Lee and was about to finish him off, but Naruto stood in his way, with Muramasa unsheathed.

"Naruto-kun..." Lee muttered.

"You damn brat!" Raiga growled.

Naruto and Raiga clashed blades. Raiga focused lightning on his twin swords and Naruto focused wind on Muramasa.

"Please, stop!" Ranmaru called out.

Raiga was distracted by Ranmaru's voice, allowing Naruto to hit the swordsman with a Rasengan, making fall down the cliff.

"Raiga!" Ranmaru called out.

Neji unzipped the cocoon and they found a young boy with red eyes.

"Kill me." Ranmaru said. "Without Raiga as my arms and legs, I have no reason to live."

"Our mission is to deal with the Kurosuki Family." Naruto told the rest of the team. "We're going back to the village."

They left Ranmaru in a shack, where they will get him back once they calmed the people of the village.

* * *

"Looks like everyone in the village is waiting for us." Lee commented as the team approached the village.

"They all seem to be all right." Tenten said.

"I don't see the members of the Kurosuki Family." Naruto said. "Neji?"

"They are hiding." Neji said, Byakugan active. "They are preparing to drop boulders on us should we get closer."

"No problem." Naruto said as he made four Kage Bunshin, three of which turned into his comrades. The four of them saluted before they ran toward the village.

When the clones were crushed by the boulders, the Kurosuki Family tried to look for their remains.

Four more Kage Bunshin then surrounded the Kurosuki Family.

"Ninpo: Kuro Tatsumaki!" One of them called out, making all ten of them pile on each others' shoulder into two pillars of five members. Then, they all revealed claws within their gloves and started spinning around, making black tornadoes.

Their attacks were able to cut right through the rocks and destroyed the clones.

The real Konoha team charged from above.

Tenten blocked one of the tornadoes' claws with her tonfa while Lee managed to kick each guys of the other tornado.

The Kurosuki Family split up, cancelling their tornadoes, and attacked each members of the Konoha team in groups.

Neji and Lee knocked their enemies out with their Taijutsu, Tenten with her tonfa and Naruto with a sheathed Muramasa.

The people of the village then started glaring at a nervous Karashi, who hadn't been as sorry as he claimed.

"Please, don't harm him." Lee pleaded as he bowed before the people. "It is partly my fault that Karashi joined the Kurosuki Family. He thought power was everything, but the life-saving curry he once cooked is even greater power than the Kurosuki Family! Allow him to atone by making this curry! If he goes astray once more, I shall punish him myself." He said, before bringing a fist inches away from Karashi's face, making the latter gulp. "Sanshou-obasan can also punish him accordingly."

The people muttered to themselves in agreement.

Naruto turned to Neji. "I guess there's one thing left to do."

Neji nodded.

* * *

The Konoha team returned to the shack.

"Are you alright?" Neji asked.

"What difference does it make?" Ranmaru asked. "I can't go on living alone. Without Raiga as my arms and legs, there is nothing for me out there."

"You need nutrition to be able to walk on your own!" Lee said. "You need the curry of life!"

Tenten turned to Lee, her eyes filled with dread. "Don't you think that will make his health worse?"

"Not at all!" Lee said as he carried Ranmaru on his back. "You just watch! The curry will save his life just like it saved mine!"

"If you are going to carry me like that, then I have one request." Ranmaru said. "I wish to see if Raiga really is dead."

The team walked to the edge of the cliff. There was a large pile of rock down below, with Raiga's arms and twin swords sticking straight out.

"I can't see his lifesigns." Neji said, his Byakugan active.

Ranmaru's eyes glowed red. "I can't either." He said neutrally.

"Let's go." Naruto said.

* * *

They all headed back to the Curry of Life shop, along with Karashi.

Karashi bowed behind his mother as she made curry. "I'm sorry! Please forgive me!"

Sanshou placed a bowl of curry, different from the ones she had made for the team the previous day, on the table. "After you eat." She said.

"The Three Hundred Spice Punishment Curry." Karashi said shakily before determination filled his eyes. He sat down and picked up a spoon. "Itadakimasu!" He started eating the curry, his face red the entire time and tears in his eyes.

Sanshou then prepared more curry for everyone. Naruto was now able to eat it without the Kyuubi's chakra.

Ranmaru didn't eat anything, despite Lee's insistence.

* * *

The next day, another storm started brewing. Lee and Naruto cut down some trees to reinforce the curry of life shop.

"Help!" Karashi cried out as he ran toward Neji, Lee and Naruto. Wasn't he supposed to be inside the shop with Ranmaru? Why did he come from the village? "Tenten-san said she'd train me instead of Lee, because of your work, but lightning struck a tree and she fell down a cliff!"

"We have to go help her." Lee said.

"I'll get the first aid kit and join you guys later!" Karashi said.

"Understood." Naruto said as the Konoha trio ran toward the cliffs.

"Do you think Tenten would fall down a cliff like that?" Neji asked the others.

"I don't know her that well." Naruto admitted. "But even I know something like that wouldn't keep her down."

"Was Karashi threatened into leading us into a trap?" Lee asked.

"But who? The Kurosuki Family was dealt with." Naruto said.

"Are my eyes untrustworthy?" Neji wondered aloud.

Naruto understood what Neji meant. "I highly doubt that. Maybe Ranmaru saw Raiga's lifesigns in a different way than the Byakugan does."

* * *

Eventually, they arrive at the place where they first clashed with Raiga. He was there, waiting for them.

"There you are!" He roared as he crackled with lightning.

The trio rolled out of the way of the lightning strike.

They all charge toward Raiga, but were struck by lightning.

"Fools! Unlike you, who only have chakra, I have no limit through the storm's lightning!" Raiga said.

Neji fell unconscious, Lee stood up and removed his weights, with Naruto following suit and using Kyuubi's chakra to heal his wounds.

Lee sidestepped a lightning strike and kicked Raiga in the gut. Raiga roared and stabbed his swords on the ground, sending a wave of lightning toward Lee, who couldn't dodge and was electrocuted. Lee wobbled for a moment but stayed on his feet.

"This guy..." Raiga said with astonishment.

"Don't count me out!" Naruto said before he punched Raiga in the face.

Raiga stumbled backwards before he swung one of his swords in Naruto's direction, also hitting Naruto with a wave of lightning. But any injuries he got, Kyuubi's chakra was healing it.

"You too!?" Raiga growled. "How are the two of you so tough!?"

"I heal quickly." Naruto joked.

"So long as Guy-sensei looks at me with a smile, I have the strength to go on!" Lee said as he got back into his stance.

"Then this Guy-sensei of yours will give you a funeral and weep about how hard you tried!" Raiga said as he was struck by lightning and spun like a tornado. "Ninpo: Rairyuu no Tatsumaki!"

The tornado then took the shape of a dragon's head and struck the duo, sending them in the air and electrocuting them.

Naruto fell to the ground and Lee fell down the cliff.

Raiga looked down the cliff and couldn't find Lee. "Did even his bones turn to ash?" He wondered.

Naruto grunted as he tried to get up. Even Kyuubi's chakra took a while to heal certain wounds.

Raiga turned to Naruto. "Still alive? Then I'll finish you off!" Raiga said as he raised his swords.

"Raiga!" The two of them looked to the side and saw Ranmaru, standing perfectly fine.

"Ranmaru, you're alive!" Raiga said as he walked to the boy. He placed the boy on his shoulder. "This one is the only one alive. We'll deal with him and leave."

"Sure thing." Ranmaru said before a thick mist escape from his clothes, surrounding him and Raiga.

"What's with this fog?" Raiga asked.

"There's no need to worry, Raiga, I am your eyes." Ranmaru said. "The blond one is that way."

Raiga started walking toward the edge of the cliff.

"Naruto." Tenten said as she walked up to him.

"Tenten." Naruto said as he sat up. "Am I really seeing this?"

Tenten nodded as she handed him a plate of curry. "It seems Ranmaru will sacrifice himself to save us."

Raiga suddenly stopped as he heard a battle cry. They all turned to the source and saw a drunk Lee charging toward Raiga. Lee's attacks dispatched the light mist around Raiga, who tried to block the attacks with one arm since the other was keeping Ranmaru steady. Raiga stumbled back, almost falling down the cliff, when he received an elbow to the gut.

Raiga took out one of his swords and launched lightning at Lee, who kept dodging in the oddest ways before charging and kicking Raiga in the chin, sending him in the air.

When Raiga was hit, He accidentally let go of Ranmaru, who was falling down the cliff before being caught by Naruto, who had finished eating just before he acted.

When he climbed back up, Raiga was about to attacked an unconscious Lee. He jumped and landed between the two. Ranmaru got off of Naruto and shielded Lee from Raiga.

"Ranmaru?" Raiga asked.

"I ate a wonderful curry while you were fighting." Ranmaru said. "Through it, I learned the feeling of living. I want you to eat it as well. You'll realize that we don't have to hurt people."

"Don't say things like that!" Raiga said as he clutched his head. "You are my eyes and ears! If you say such selfish things, we won't be able to remain as one anymore!"

"Then strike me with your lightning." Ranmaru said. "If I die, then you, who are strong, will die as well. Because the two of us are one."

Raiga looked at Ranmaru with wide eyes. "I can no longer remember the time you were good. I have to give you a funeral so I can remember!" He brought his twins swords in the air and was struck by lightning. "Ranmaru, you broke the promise that we would always be together. You were my only companion. But, you made friends with those of Konoha. We can no longer be two in one."

"Raiga..." Ranmaru muttered.

Raiga grew enraged as lightning crackled around him. "Who do you think taught you about the Outside World!? It's time for a funeral!"

Naruto unleashed a tail's worth of Kyuubi's chakra, to Raiga and Ranmaru's shock, and charged at the swordsman. Raiga aimed his lightning at Naruto, who kept dodging with animal-like agility before slamming a Rasengan in Raiga's gut, sending him flying down the cliff.

"Ranmaru..." Raiga muttered. "You are free, now."

Somehow, Ranmaru felt his words from deep within his core.

"Lightning!" Raiga called out. "Give me my funeral!"

Multiple lightning bolts struck Raiga at the same time, making a large ball of lightning. When it disappeared, not even ashes remained.

"Raiga..." Ranmaru muttered.

Naruto sighed as he stopped using Kyuubi's chakra and stood next to Ranmaru. "Let's go meet up with the others."

Ranmaru nodded as Naruto picked Lee up.

After peace had finally returned in the village, the team prepared to leave.

"Thank you for taking care of us." Neji told Sanshou.

"Take care of Ranmaru." Tenten requested as she looked at the young boy stirring the spices.

"As an heir of making my Curry of Life, I'll raise him well." Sanshou swore. "But Konoha is a long way from here. I made an especially strong batch of curry for you to eat before you leave." She said as she pointed the table.

The team looked at the curry on the table...the spices were boiling red.

Lee was overjoyed, Naruto was_ very_ glad of his Healing Factor and Tenten was scared. Neji said Tsunade would be upset if they were late. He and Tenten dragged Lee out of the shop. Naruto shrugged and followed.

* * *

A couple of days later, a big mission arrived.

It all started with a small mission for Naruto, Sakura and Shikamaru to capture an escaped pet ferret and bring it back to his owner's village. They caught the ferret and headed for the client's village. They eventually stood on a bridge where they could see the village in the distance, but there was a problem.

It was in the middle of noon and they couldn't see anybody.

"We'll have to do some scouting." Shikamaru said. "Something may have happened. I'll take the forest on the west. You two keep going through the mountain path."

The two members of Team 7 agreed and went on their way.

"Do you really think something happened, Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"Nami no Kuni." Naruto said.

Sakura was confused for a moment before she realized what he meant. The mission to Nami no Kuni was supposed to have been simple, yet turned into an A-rank mission. He basically just told her that this easy mission may have turned for the worst.

However, the ferret that was inside Naruto's backpack started fidgeting.

"What's with him?" Sakura asked.

"Animals are beings of instincts. He must be feeling danger close by." Naruto explained as he braced himself. Sakura did the same.

Suddenly, three armored giants wielding large maces jumped at them, their maces ready to strike.

Naruto pushed Sakura out of the way and jumped away.

Naruto pulled out Muramasa and stabbed one of the armored giants. The armored giant stopped for a moment before it started moving again. Naruto quickly jumped back, Muramasa still in hand, and started dodging attack after attack. He finally managed to cut the armored giant's head, sending it to the ground.

Naruto sighed and turned around, only to see a blond man wearing knight-type armor. The knight gave Naruto a thumbs-down.

"You grading me or are you saying you'll bring me down?" Naruto asked, but the knight remained silent.

Naruto charged and attacked, but the knight dodged with surprising speed. Naruto discarded his coat. The knight was curious about this action until he saw the coat make a crater, making his eyes widen in realization. Naruto charged and kicked the knight straight in the helmet, sending him back.

Naruto charged with Muramasa and attacked the knight. The knight's left bracer turned into a shield, which was easily cut down by Muramasa. The knight then pulled out his sword and clashed with Muramasa, only to also be cut down.

Naruto was about to strike, but a cry from Sakura stopped him. He rushed to her location and found her being held by another armored giant.

The knight landed next to the armored giant. The giant then tried to strike the knight with its mace, but the knight jumped aside to dodge.

Shikamaru had been controlling the armored giant through the Kagemane no Jutsu.

Naruto charged at the knight again. The knight still had his sword in hand, despite the blade being cut. The blade grew longer and glowed with strange energy.

Naruto didn't like the look of the energy and created a Rasengan.

"Rasengan/Raging Thunder!" Naruto and the knight called out at the same time as the Rasengan and the knight's glowing blade clashed. It caused an explosion that destroyed the cliff, making both of them fall down the mountain.

* * *

Naruto regained consciousness somewhere unknown. He sat up, feeling pain coursing through his body. He was in his underwear and was in bandages. He channelled a bit of Kyuubi's chakra through his body, as well as the Giant Worm soul, to heal faster. He then looked around. He was in a large tent of sorts. People were outside, playing instruments and games around campfires, and a blond man was on a futon next to his own futon.

"Now that you're up, try not to move too much." An elderly voice said.

"I'm fine. I've already mostly recovered." Naruto said as he pulled out the bandages.

"Have you really?" The elder said as he entered the room. He was shocked at Naruto's lack of wounds. "And here I was, expecting you to be unconscious for another few days."

The old man had a bulbous red nose and neck-length white hair with a long white beard.

"I've always recovered fast." Naruto shrugged off. "Where am I?"

"You're in our caravan. I'm Kahiko, elder of the caravan."

"So you're travellers?" Naruto asked.

"That's right. The people of the village call us The Wandering People. We travel all over the place, depending on the season. You were lucky, young man. You would have been washed away by the river if we hadn't passed by."

"Then it is safe to assume that the guy next to me is the one that fell along with me." Naruto said.

"That's right." Kahiko said.

The knight opened his eyes.

"Oh? He regained consciousness as well." Kahiko said.

The knight tried to get up, but lied back down in pain. A bump in his futon started moving and was revealed to be the ferret.

"There you are, Nerugui-chan." Kahiko said.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the elder. "Nerugui? Are you the ferret's owner? The one who hired Konoha?"

Kahiko nodded. "That's me."

As time went on, something surprised Naruto: The knight recovered from his wounds almost as fast as he did. Was he a Jinchuuriki? Or something else?

* * *

The next morning, the caravan was on the move.

"How long has this caravan been travelling?" Naruto asked.

"We've been on the road since our country was destroyed." A black-haired lady, Emina, Kahiko's granddaughter, said.

"Destroyed?" Naruto asked.

Emina nodded. "It's a legend that's been passed down by our clan for a long time. There was a great catastrophe that destroyed our country and scattered our clan. We became wandering people..."

"And it seems some of us crossed the sea." Kahiko said from behind the two.

"Crossed the sea, huh?" Naruto said.

"That's right. Nerugui-chan is a ferret that was kept at our ancestor's palace... He's the living proof we had a country, long ago."

"Wouldn't that mean that Nerugui was alive for a really long time, then?" Naruto asked.

"I am a toddler compared to Nerugui-chan." Kahiko said, shocking Naruto. "And the caravan has taken of him throughout the generations."

This made Naruto wonder... Was the ferret immortal or something?

* * *

Eventually, the caravan stopped for a break.

The knight approached Naruto and asked him something that surprised him.

"What is that strange power of yours?" He asked.

Naruto looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You don't know about chakra?" He asked.

"Chakra?" The knight asked.

"Most people in the Elemental Countries know about chakra." Naruto said.

"_I see. It explains why I didn't sense any Gelel..."_ The knight thought.

"Why did you attack me and my comrades?" Naruto asked.

"I came to build a Utopia." The knight claimed.

"A Utopia?" Naruto asked.

The knight nodded. "That's right. You should come with me and help me in my goal. Your chakra could be of great help."

"If chakra is so foreign to you, then what was that...Raging Thunder was it?" Naruto asked.

"That was Gelel." The knight said. "I can explain more if you decide to help me. Think about it." The knight said before walking away.

"_Gelel, huh? A new power... I'll have to see about...'acquiring' it."_ Naruto thought.

Moments later, there was a light commotion. One of the kids tried to climb a tree to retrieve a ball and fell, but the knight, now wearing his armor, caught him before he hit the ground.

"I've now repaid my debt." The knight said before putting the kid down and walking away, with Nerugui following him. That ferret seemed to really like the knight.

* * *

During the night, everyone realized that the knight legitimately left, with Nerugui following him. Naruto gave chase quickly.

When Naruto caught up to him, they were in the middle of a great mist and in front of a...castle? Fortress? It was kinda hard to know for sure in this mist.

"Who are you, exactly?" Naruto asked.

"My name is Temujin" The knight, Temujin, said. "Come with me, I'll introduce you to Haido-sama." He walked inside.

Naruto complied. He may find out about Gelel in there.

"Haido-sama is a man with a wonderful belief." Temujin said as he guided Naruto through the halls, walking passed some armored giants. "You'll understand when you meet him."

"I see... So, what are those large armored giants?" Naruto asked.

"Faithful soldiers." Temujin answered as they went up an elevator.

The elevator led them to a throne room, where a man was reading a grimoire. The man had light brown hair, with bushy eyebrows and sideburns. He had a stubby chin, a broad nose and green eyes. He wore bishop clothing and looked very much like a preacher of peace, so much so that it made Naruto suspicious.

Temujin dropped on one knee before the man. "I have returned, Haido-sama."

"Ah, Temujin. You're back." Haido set the grimoire aside and stood up. He then looked at Naruto. "You're the one, aren't you? Temujin informed me that you have an interesting power."

"Show Haido-sama your power." Temujin said as he drew his blade.

"Stop, Temujin. Unnecessary fighting is no good." Haido said before he noticed the state of Temujin's sword. "What happened to your sword, Temujin?"

"His blade was the one that cut mine." Temujin answered.

"A blade of such sharpness? Interesting." Haido muttered.

The metal walls rose to reveal windows.

"Naruto-kun, we have journeyed to create a Utopia. Our homeland is in a far-off continent with continuous wars. Wars are unsightly and sorrowful. It brings misfortune to all people. Temujin lost his homeland to war. He was left behind in his war-torn village when he was young. I made a decision. I wanted to protect the weak... I wanted to create a world where no one had to fight. That...is my dream. For the sake of my dream, I've travelled the world, gathering comrades. It has taken time to get this far. Unfortunately, there were people who became noble sacrifices along the way... Won't you join us, Naruto-kun? I want you to help me make this world a better place."

"Your dream and determination is admirable." Naruto said.

At that moment, Nerugui climbed on Temujin's shoulder, surprising the knight and getting the others' attention.

"What is that?" Haido asked.

"I'm sorry." Temujin said as the ferret growled at Haido. "He hasn't left me alone since I passed by that caravan."

"A caravan?" Haido asked. "I see."

"Haido-sama! Bad news!" A woman's voice said from an intercom.

"What's wrong?" Haido asked while turning his attention to the rest of room.

"The fleet that landed in the Kaze no Kuni was annihilated." 

"_Kaze no Kuni... Suna."_ Naruto thought.

"I'll go." Temujin said as he ran toward the elevator.

"Naruto-kun, please accompany him." Haido requested.

Naruto followed Temujin.

* * *

A beach in Kaze no Kuni became a shipyard. They looked like battle cruisers.

"What happened here?" Naruto said.

"That's what we're going to find out." Temujin said as he walked inside the wreckage of a battleship, with Naruto following him.

The inside was a giant mess. They eventually entered a room full of corpses. But the bodies weren't dressed for combat or a voyage.

"What is this?" Naruto asked.

At that moment, Karasu dropped from the ceiling and wrapped its arms around Temujin to restrain him.

"Karasu? Then Kankuro is nearby." Naruto whispered to himself.

"That's right." Kankuro said as he landed next to Naruto. "Why are you here?"

"Long story short: I fought this guy, he didn't know about chakra so he took me to his leader and we came here after we heard of the battle." Naruto said.

"I see..." Kankuro said before turning to Temujin. "You may have thought you could sneak up on us, but don't underestimate Sunagakure no Sato of the Great Five Ninja Nations."

"We have simply come here to build a Utopia." Temujin said before he suddenly broke free of Karasu and kicked the puppet away.

"What are you doing here, idiot?" A girl with similar armor as Temujin said as she entered the room. "Your primary duty is to scout." She told Temujin.

"That doll-using loser is a lookout." Another girl said from behind the first one. "There's another unit waiting nearby."

"But...!" Temujin tried to say.

"Why are you so worked up?" The second girl asked. "We're leaving before this becomes troublesome."

However, the girls were immediately attacked by sand blocks. They managed to jump in the air to dodge.

"You're not getting away." Gaara said as he gave chase, with Kankuro following him.

Temujin pointed his new sword at Naruto. "You never intended to join us, did you?" He asked.

"All I said to Haido was that his dream was admirable, I never said I believed it or that he'd succeed." Naruto said.

Temujin channelled Gelel through his blade and clashed with Naruto's Muramasa. They jumped around, trading blows, until they reached the outside.

As he fought, he saw one of the girls transform into a bat-monster-thing. _"Could she be using Gelel as well?"_ Naruto thought as he saw the place where Gaara finished off the other girl, who had also turned into a monster. _"That one probably used Gelel as well, in that case. I'll have to try and get one of their bodies back in the castle. Maybe Temujin's as well. Not the one Gaara buried, though. He may find out through his sand."_

The transformed girl made some fog and flew away, taking Temujin as well.

"Hey, Naruto, Gaara! A little help here!" Kankuro cried out as was hanging from a high place and was about to fall. Naruto pulled Kankuro toward him with the Chakra Chains. "Thanks, Naruto."

Naruto nodded.

"We should all get moving." Gaara said. "Kankuro and I have matters to attend to. I'm sure you do as well, Naruto."

"I do. I have to find Sakura and Shikamaru." Naruto said before walking away. Gaara and Kankuro also left the beach.

* * *

Later, Naruto found Sakura and Shikamaru, who had Temujin hostage.

Temujin was interrogated in a hiding spot beneath a tree.

"Why do you want the Stones of Gelel?" Kahiko asked Temujin.

"Because they're important." Temujin answered.

"You don't know the horrors of those stones." Kahiko frowned. "We mustn't bring them back."

"Are you lecturing me?" Temujin asked.

The tattoo on his torso glowed through the armor and showed a projection of a crystal.

"As I thought..." Kahiko sighed.

"What is that?" Sakura asked.

"That is a Stone of Gelel, the source of life energy." Kahiko explained.

"I know more about the stones than anyone." Temujin claimed.

"It certainly explains your recovery powers." Kahiko said. "Where did you get that stone?"

"I received it from my lord, Haido-sama" Temujin answered.

"I see... Is the stone the only thing you have?" Kahiko asked. "What about the Book of Gelel?"

"Haido was reading an old book when Temujin took me to him." Naruto said.

"As I though..."

"What are you talking about?" Temujin asked, looking at Kahiko.

"The only ones who can fuse their physical bodies with the Stones of Gelel were the Royal Family of our clan." Kahiko explained. "The Royal Family took the last Stone of Gelel and the Book of Gelel with them when they crossed the sea. Temujin, you are a member of our clan! We do not know how that stone was created, but, long ago, a mine with veins of minerals was found. Our ancestors refined and crystallized it before naming it 'Gelel'. Our ancestors then created an empire on this continent that was founded on the Stones of Gelel. They built wells that didn't dry, livestock that grew overnight, trees that continuously bore fruit. And they even tried to find ways to stop living things from ageing."

Naruto's eyes widened at that last piece of information. This was perfect! This was the perfect replacement for the Crimson Stone Soma destroyed! He _needed_ to get one of those stones and the book...

"That's the first I've heard of it." Shikamaru said.

"That was a long time ago." Kahiko said. "But often, great power brings catastrophe. People fought and quarrelled disgracefully for the power of the Stones of Gelel. In the end, war was waged with the stones' power. Mountains and the earth split and, finally, the battle obliterated the empire. Only a handful of young people survived. Our ancestors sealed the Gelel Mineral deep underground and vowed never to revive the stones ever again."

"Why didn't you try to rid yourselves of such a terrifying thing?" Sakura asked.

"Only the royal family is able to destroy the stones. We've lost the royal family, so all we could do is watch over the stones throughout the generations. Legends were supposed to fade and be lost, but..."

"Fade? Destroy? Never." Temujin interrupted. "Hearing that, I made up my mind. I'm going to get those stones, no matter what. Power is only power. What matters is who uses it."

"It's a power beyond what humans can handle." Kahiko insisted. "You mustn't revive the stones!"

"Whatever power it may be, Haido-sama will use it in the right way." Temujin said. "Haido-sama said: 'Wars only breed misfortune. But wars can't be stopped without someone standing at the top.' The truth of those words deeply touched my heart. In the confusion of war, my village was attacked by thieves. We survivors were orphaned and Haido-sama adopted us. I want to grant Haido-sama his wish to free the world of wars. My friends all think the same. No matter what the sacrifice...this is my dream and I need the Stone of Gelel to achieve it!"

Temujin broke the ropes that restrained him and jumped behind Kahiko, holding his blade to the elder's throat.

"You will tell me where the mine of Gelel is." Temujin demanded to Kahiko.

"I refuse to tell you." Kahiko said.

Temujin knocked Kahiko out, used a flash grenade and escaped while taking a child and Kahiko hostage.

"We will give chase." Naruto commanded.

"Emina-san, where is the mine of Gelel?" Sakura said.

Emina looked down in shame. "Only Ji-chan knows where it is."

Shikamaru sighed. "If only we had a ninken."

Naruto pointed at Nerugui, who was scratching against a wall. "This little guy has followed Temujin around since we ended up with the caravan. He can track Temujin better than any ninken."

The trio exited the cave through a secret passage inside the wall Nerugui scratched and followed Nerugui.

They followed the ferret through a series of tunnels and they eventually caught up to Temujin and Kahiko. He must have let the kid go earlier.

They eventually arrived in a large room. There was a suddenly quake as a drill pierced through a wall. Haido had arrived.

"Haido-sama." Temujin bowed. "The mine of Gelel is down here."

"Thank you, Temujin." Haido said. "I've put you through so much trouble. Thanks to you, our utopia is right before our eyes. Everyone, let us go." Haido said as he walked away.

Only to be restrained by Shikamaru's Kagemane no Jutsu.

"I have a few questions before you leave." Shikamaru said.

"Is this rude person your friend, Naruto-kun?" Haido asked.

"I trust him more than I trust that lie you call a dream." Naruto answered.

"What do you plan to do with the Stone of Gelel?" Shikamaru asked.

"I will create a utopia." Haido answered. "A world without wars, where the weak aren't oppressed."

"It seems to me that you're doing the exact opposite." Shikamaru commented.

"It is all in the name of true justice." Haido said.

"Then why attack the caravan?" Sakura asked.

"I had no choice. We've made great sacrifices too." Haido said. "These are all noble sacrifices to make a world without wars. It cannot be helped. We all made the dream of peace and have done whatever is necessary to accomplish that goal."

Suddenly, the platform Temujin and Kahiko were standing on was lowering itself beneath the floor.

"This abomination should be destroyed!" Kahiko told Temujin. "Along with us!"

"Destroy the stones!?" Haido said as he searched through the Book of Gelel before throwing it away. "What does he know!?

"_I __**must**__ get that book."_ Naruto thought.

Haido jumped down to the floor that closed itself after Temujin and Kahiko went through it and broke it with a single punch.

"We are going after them!" Haido ordered.

"Haido-sama! To the stronghold!" One of the armored girls said.

"Not enough time!" Haido said as he made himself some wings out of some weird tentacles. "Bring the stronghold with you!" He floated down the hole, with the armored giants following him.

One of the girls transformed into a bat and floated in front of Shikamaru. "You're not going anywhere!"

The other girl was about to enter the stronghold, but dodged a kunai thrown by Sakura.

"Naruto! Go on ahead!" Sakura said.

Naruto nodded and jumped down the hole.

Just as he fell down the hole, he made a Kage bunshin that hid in the darkness, waiting for a chance to get the book. And he got that chance when the girl on the stronghold turned into a werewolf and chased Sakura. With luck, he may even get one of the girls that had a Stone of Gelel in their body like Temujin does. As luck would have it, Shikamaru made a plan that used the hiding Kankuro to trap and kill the one who could turn into a bat-like monster by cutting her in pieces. Kankuro's new puppet, Kuroari, discarded the body pieces on the floor lower than their platform after killing her. When Shikamaru and Kankuro left to assist Sakura, Bunshin Naruto used this opportunity to take the stone out of the remains. He also went to the stronghold and took the book before returning to the castle. All too easy.

* * *

Down in the hole, Haido revealed that he was wearing a glove that had a Stone of Gelel attached to it. He started testing the power around the room and on Kahiko. He even used it to 'protect' himself from Nerugui, making the ferret spit out a pebble of Gelel. Since Kahiko accused Haido of destroying Temujin's village, Temujin was more and more seeing how Haido was in reality a power-hungry warlord.

"A warlord hiding as a 'preacher of peace'..." Naruto said as he entered the room, catching everyone's attention.

"You certainly are persistent, Naruto-kun." Haido said with a sadistic grin.

Temujin's eyes widened. This was the grin of the one who led the destruction of his village!

Haido saw the look in Temujin's eyes and grinned even more. "You finally realized it, didn't you? I can finally get rid of you." He said as his skin turned grey and his hair white. Haido approached Temujin and ripped the Stone of Gelel out of Temujin and crushed it with his new strength.

"Now, the world is mine!" Haido said as he threw Temujin aside.

He then walked to the key of the mine, only to have Naruto stand in his way.

"You are using such a terrifying power." Naruto said. "I hope you don't mind if I use my own."

Haido was curious about what Naruto meant until the blond flared Kyuubi's chakra.

"Not bad..." Haido said. "But not enough."

Haido disappeared and appeared before Naruto and tried to punch him in the gut, only for said punch to be stopped by Naruto's hand, to the warlord's shock.

Naruto made a Red Rasengan and slammed it in Haido's gut, sending him straight to a wall.

Haido knocked the rubbles off of himself. His whole body was dislocated and his abdomen was burned. "I see... Temujin was right. Your power is interesting." He started glowing with Gelel and his body healed itself.

Haido sent a Gelel Lazer to Naruto and Temujin, but the armored giants took the attack for them. Souls left the bodies of armor.

Temujin started crying. "Everyone... What have I done?"

"What pieces of scrap. I told them not to interfere." Haido said.

Haido's words earned Temujin's rage. He then saw the pebble of Gelel and picked it up. "Naruto! Use your attack again! We shall work together!" Temujin said.

As Naruto made a Red Rasengan with one hand, Temujin helped Naruto make a Rasengan with Gelel on his other hand.

When Haido sent another Gelel Lazer toward them, Temujin stepped in front of Naruto, blocking the lazer with the pebble of Gelel. The two of them ran toward Haido. Haido reinforced the lazer, with knocked Temujin away, but Naruto kept charging. Haido used his tentacles as a shield, but they were destroyed by the Gelel Rasengan. Haido's Gelel Fist collided with the Red Rasengan. The Gelel stone broke and Naruto slammed the Gelel Rasengan straight to Haido's torso, sending him straight on the Key to the mine, breaking it.

Haido had a bubbling wound on his torso and fell down, dead.

Suddenly, the room trembled and started collapsing.

"With the key destroyed, the seal has been broken!"Kahiko said.

"What's happening!?" Temujin asked.

"The mine of Gelel is going wild... If we consider the scale of the ancient temple, it may very well blow up half of the continent." Kahiko said.

"There must be a way to stop this!" Temujin said.

"There is no way to stop it from going out of control, but there is a way to destroy it before it destroys the continent." Kahiko said.

"The Jutsu Summoning Formula?" Temujin asked.

Kahiko nodded. "The Jutsu Summoning Formula works only with the royal bloodline. Place your hand at the center of the formula! It will summon a time-space rift that will swallow the mine whole! The one who activates the Jutsu won't come back alive."

"If this is what I must do to atone for all I've done, so be it." Temujin said as he walked to the center.

Naruto and Kahiko ran away as the Gelel mineral fell around the centre platform whole. Temujin used the pebble of Gelel to protect himself as he walked to the centre of the formula.

Naruto and Kahiko went up the caves and outside of the temple, meeting up with the others.

When they looked around, the whole wasteland was now full of nature. Even Nerugui had been healed from Haido's attack. Did the Gelel do this before being swallowed in the rift?

Well, whatever. Naruto got what he wanted, if the Kage Bunshin's memories were to be trusted.

With everything calmed down, it was clearly a completed mission.

* * *

One morning, Shino, followed by Ino, told him that the Hokage requested all three of them.

When they entered the Office, Tsunade and Shizune were obviously there, along with Anko Mitarashi. The four of them would be going to Umi no Kuni to escort a delivery ship and solve a mystery about a sea monster called Kaima.

Everyone got prepared and met at the gate. They went to a port that would take them to the largest island of Umi no Kuni: Hahajima.

Anko said she had matters to attend to, so left the job of arranging a boat to the duo of Genin and the Chunin. In the town, they saw a girl wrapped in a lot of bandages getting paid a low amount of money by a man that hired her for delivery. Ino was displeased and had no trouble saying so to the man, who only said that Kaima's attacks made their country poor. The bandaged girl seemed sadden at the old man's explanation and walked away. The old man told them that the girl was from a village on Hahajima and that she came to this town because the people of Hahajima refuse to do business with her. Apparently, there was a time where people disappeared and she was the only one to come back. He even said there were rumors she was living outside of the village by herself. That very much reminded Naruto of his own life in Konoha. He separated himself from the team and followed her.

When he caught up to her, two men stood in her way. He immediately stood next to her, a still sheathed Muramasa in hand. That alone scared the men away.

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked.

"I am." She said. She then noticed his headband and ran away.

Naruto shrugged and met up with the others, who had a boat ready.

"Where were you!?" Ino demanded.

"I followed the girl." Naruto said. "Good thing I did, otherwise these two guys would have beaten her up."

Ino was horrified. "Why would they do such a thing!?"

"For the same reason as the Konoha civilians do what they do with me." Naruto said. Both of them knew of his condition as he told their teams at earlier points.

"They do not understand her condition and, therefore, fear her. The lash out at her because of that fear." Shino said logically.

"Exactly." Naruto confirmed.

Just then, Anko met up with them and they went on the boat for Hahajima.

Naruto was the one rowing the boat to Hahajima. Halfway across the ocean, however, the oars got stuck and they were heading toward a whirlpool that suddenly appeared. Naruto, to the team's shock, jumped in the water and saw the problem, there were elongated arms holding the oars. Naruto pulled out Muramasa and cut them off. Someone grabbed him from behind and started draining his chakra. He smirked and activated Kyuubi's chakra. The attacker was forced to absorb the chakra and died of corrosion. Due to their proximity, the soul was absorbed instantly. Naruto then followed the retreating arms and found the scared culprit, whom he cut down, receiving another soul.

Those souls...they were Kabuto's teammates during the preliminary rounds. While he had little use for controlling a 'boneless' body, being able to absorb chakra through physical contact was a boon. Hell, the two of them would make a good combination.

Naruto rose to the water's surface and climbed back on the boat.

"So, what was down there?" Anko asked.

"Two enemy shinobi, I think." Naruto said. "One was able to lengthen his arms to block the oars. Just when I cut both arms, I was caught from behind by someone trying to drain my chakra. By the time I freed myself, the first one had drowned, since the loss of blood and his arms prevented him from swimming back up."

"How did you escape the chakra absorption?" Anko asked.

"A little help from the fox." Naruto shrugged.

Anko looked at the other two and saw that neither of them was shocked or surprised.

"We were told beforehand due to circumstances." Ino said. "My team and I found out when the escaped Mizuki blurted it out."

"My team found out when Naruto-san used the chakra to escape a Jutsu." Shino said.

Anko accepted their explanations and Naruto started rowing the boat to Hahajima.

* * *

The next morning, they talked with the client, who said the departure was rescheduled for the next day instead of later than that.

After that, they did some more investigation about the Kaima. They mostly found out about which island the Kaima lived in, which was also the place where the people were 'spirited away', and where the only one to return, Isaribi, lived. They decided to head to Isaribi's place to find out more. On the way there, they saw Isaribi head inside a cave.

The followed her inside the cave and saw her turn into a sea creature. Isaribi was the Kaima.

"So you're the Kaima!?" Ino asked.

To Anko, the Kaima seemed familiar as her head started throbbing.

Isaribi started swimming away and tried reaching a different exit, only for the Genin to use Water Walking to chase her.

Ino threw a kunai with an explosive tag on the exit. The explosion made it crumble. When Isaribi rose to the water's surface, she was restrained by Shino's ninja-wire.

Isaribi broke out of the wire and tried to escape, But was caught by Naruto's Chakra Chains.

"Good job, Naruto!" Ino cheered.

Naruto pulled Isaribi closer to the team. "Why are you doing all this?" Naruto asked.

But Isaribi stayed quiet.

"You..." They all turned to Anko. "You're the one Orochimaru experimented on..."

Isaribi's eyes widened.

"What do you mean, Anko-sensei?" Ino asked.

"I can't remember much." Anko admitted. "But I remember, back when Orochimaru brought me here before leaving me to rot, he had made experiments to create human-sea creature hybrids. He's definitely the type to 'spirit people away.'"

"You worked for Orochimaru." Isaribi muttered. "Do you know if there's a cure to my condition?"

Anko sighed. "Orochimaru _never_ makes any cure to his experiments, he just lets things go as they are."

Isaribi started crying. "He lied to me." She muttered. "Amachi lied to me. He said if I did these things for him, he'd give me the cure.

Anko's head then started throbbing again.

The group brought her back to shore. Ino placed a wet cloth on her forehead and waited until she recovered.

"So you've been attacking the boats in the hope of getting a cure to your Kaima form?" Naruto asked.

Isaribi, back in her human form, nodded. When she turned back in her human form, they saw that the bandages were meant to cover the parts of her body that still had scales. "Amachi said if I provided him with enough data about my Kaima form, which is a prototype, he'd give me the cure."

"Data..." They heard Anko mutter as she got up. "Odds are, he made you do this to create a better Kaima form, if we're talking about data."

"Then shouldn't we stop him before he succeeds in making a new Kaima?" Ino asked.

Everyone agreed and headed to the island of Kikaijima, where Orochimaru's base was located.

When they reached the island, they entered a cave. They walked through the hallways and entered a room full of human-sized water tanks.

"These are...Kaima?" Naruto asked.

Suddenly, a wall opened and let three feline-like creatures in the room.

"What adorable kitties." Anko said, licking the blade of her kunai. Ino and Isaribi looked disturbed at that. Naruto: not at all. Shino: he's doing an amazing job hiding it if he is.

One was quickly finished by Shino's bugs. Another tried to bite Naruto, only to be cut down by Muramasa. And the last one was knocked through a water tank by Anko, with the glass shards piercing it.

They all kept going and ended up in a dark room with a silhouette sitting on a throne. When the silhouette stood up and walked closer, it was revealed to be a light-green haired man.

"Amachi!" Isaribi called out angrily.

"Isaribi... To think you would betray me like this... Oh well, at least I no longer have to hide my desire to dissect you." Amachi smirked.

"Not gonna happen." Naruto said.

"So you say." Amachi said before looking at Anko. "Anko, long time no see."

"Where's Orochimaru, Amachi?" Anko demanded before her seal made her feel pain.

"Oh, so even though Orochimaru is no longer here, the seal is reacting to his lingering presence." Amachi said anatically as he cupped his chin. "Still, to think his presence would linger for half a month... Regardless, my continued research will make me stand above everyone."

"Your research to create underwater ninja." Isaribi said.

"That's right! With the Kaima form, I will create an army and control all of the sea routes in the Elemental Countries!" Amachi claimed.

"I've heard enough." Naruto said as he approached Amachi with Muramasa in hand.

"Sorry, maybe someplace else." Amachi said as he ran away and they heard explosions that made the base start to crumble.

The group managed to escape the crumbling caves and saw Amachi standing on the water in front of them.

"Glad you could make it." Amachi mocked. "Now I will test the fruit of my research against you!"

As he said this, his skin turned into scales and he grew fish-like features. He had become a Kaima.

Naruto grunted and charged at Amachi, Muramasa in hand.

"Wait!" Anko called out.

Amachi spat water at Naruto, who sidestepped before being hit by another shot of water.

Naruto got up on the surface water. "Not gonna let me get close, huh? All right, then. Let's make this monster against monster." He said as he flared Kyuubi's chakra. The water around him made small waves.

"What is this adnormal chakra?" Amachi wondered.

Isaribi was shocked. What happened to Naruto?

"This is the Kyuubi no Kitsune's chakra." Anko said, getting Isaribi's attention. "The Kyuubi attacked our village 13 years ago. The Yondaime Hokage sealed the fox inside Naruto. Since then, a lot of people see Naruto as the Kyuubi in human form instead of the container."

Just like her. Naruto was just like Isaribi.

"So you're a monster, huh?" Amachi smirked before spitting water at Naruto. The corrosive chakra turned the water spat at him into steam. "What!?"

Naruto charged with speed Amachi couldn't follow and gave him an uppercut to send him in the air. Naruto made a couple of Kage Bunshin that kicked Amachi around in the air. Amachi faced the sky. Naruto was falling toward him with a Red Rasengan in hand. Amachi spun around to try and dive underwater, but there was another Naruto jumping toward him with a Red Rasengan as well. Both attacks collided with the advanced Kaima, creating an outburst of chakra around them.

Where the chakra disappeared, there was a single Naruto standing above Amachi's human form. Amachi appeared to still be breathing.

Anko approached the two and tied Amachi up. "Once we bring him to the village, he'll be in for it." She said.

* * *

They returned to Hahajima and informed the official payment's crew that the Kaima was dealt with. They rejoiced and set sail while the group returned to Konoha with a prisoner the next morning.

Before they left, however, Anko investigated something that was nagging her in the back of her head and discovered as well as remembered something. Orochimaru didn't abandon her, she willing chose not to follow him. That was a heavy weight off her shoulders.

Isaribi requested to come along the Konoha-nin and they agreed, saying Tsunade may find something to help the Kaima girl. It didn't matter to Naruto. She was too weak-willed to be a monster.

* * *

A few days later, Naruto was eating dango with Sakura, at her request. She wanted to talk about Team Guy's Genin's new mission: a guard duty in Hoshigakure. He _had_ heard of the stories of the star that fell in their vicinity, 200 years ago, and how Hoshigakure uses it for their own benefits, hence how they received their name. It was definitely worth investigating. Once they went their separate ways, Naruto went to Tsunade with the request of joining Team Guy's mission. Knowing of the possible dangers of the mission and of Naruto's reliability, she complied.

After finishing his preparations, Naruto caught up to the trio in a flash.

They quickly arrived to a chasm, filled with a yellowish smoke, close to Kuma no Kuni, where Hoshigakure was situated. They met up with a Hoshigakure shinobi named Sumaru.

Sumaru guided the quartet to Hoshigakure and met up with the Substitute Hoshikage, Akahoshi. Apparently, the Sandaime Hoshikage died a year earlier and they haven't had a true leader since.

"As I am sure you've been told, Hoshigakure has a star that has been envied by the Five Great Villages. Our search party managed to gather information about enemy shinobi seeking to take the star shortly. That is why we requested your aid."

Before the conversation could continue, they received an emergency call. The star had been stolen! And whoever stole it has had Star Training, according to Sumaru, meaning the village had a traitor in its midst. Akahoshi left the retrieval of the star to the Konoha shinobi.

"Akahoshi knows something we don't know." Neji said once the team was alone.

"He did look pale when Sumaru mentioned the thief's abilities." Tenten said.

Neji nodded. "I'll look around the village to find some clues. You three should observe Akahoshi." The trio nodded.

* * *

That night, Naruto, through his improved stealth thanks to recovering his powers as the Lord of Darkness, entered the Hoshikage building and overheard Akahoshi talking with two of his shinobi about the thief. Apparently, it was someone they thought had died and was the last shinobi to fully master the star's powers. They seemed to have a foolproof plan against the thief, however. Akahoshi also spotted Tenten and Lee within the bushes outside of the building. The two shinobi left to deal with them. Naruto wasn't worried. They could handle themselves.

Naruto followed Akahoshi, who disguised himself and waited at the chasm, Hell's Ravine, while flaring the Star Chakra. Sumaru and his age group surrounded him and restrained him with ropes made of their star chakra. However, they all exhausted themselves. Akahoshi approached Sumaru and was about pick him up, but had to block incoming shuriken from a charging Neji. No need to hide. He charged and also started throwing shuriken, which Akahoshi blocked with the star chakra before taking Sumaru and flying away in Hell's ravine.

"Naruto?" Neji said. "How long have been there?"

"That wasn't the thief you just saw, that was Akahoshi." Naruto said.

Neji's eyes narrowed. "Why would he trick his own shinobi?"

"It's like you said: he knows something we don't. Whoever that thief was, Akahoshi knew him and has a plan to trap him. I imagine Sumaru is the bait."

A moment later, Tenten and Lee found them.

"What happened to them?" Lee asked.

"They were attacked by Akahoshi." Neji said, shocking the duo. "He also kidnapped Sumaru, but helping them is priority."

"Are you sure it was Akahoshi?" Tenten asked.

"I've been following him this entire night." Naruto said. "There's no doubt about his identity."

With that said, they carried the group of Shinobi to their cabin, where they met Hokuto and Mizura, who was ill. Neji looked at Mizura with his Byakugan and made a discovery. He explained the discovery to Naruto in private outside.

"Even if Mizura is resting, his chakra is rising to its limit." Neji said. "At this rate, he will be killed by his own chakra."

"It's the star training." Hokuto said as she approached the duo. "The star has the power to increase chakra. But many shinobi have been unable to control the amplification of that power. It has weakened their bodies and killed them. Mizura ended up like that in the middle of his training... The Sandaime Hoshikage cancelled the training, as he didn't want more victims from the training."

"And Akahoshi reinstated the training?" Naruto asked, his eyes narrowed. He was smelling a ploy.

Hokuto nodded. "Nobody objected, as they don't fear the star that gives us this power. If we can support the village by completing the training, then it's okay."

* * *

At dawn, the quartet decided to search for the star. Neji sent Lee and Tenten to look around Akahoshi's place for any clues of where he could have taken Sumaru. A few moments after the two of them left, Akahoshi's followers appeared before them, saying the thief appeared at Hell's Ravine. Naruto and Neji nodded at each other before they followed the duo. They would have to play along for now.

When they arrived at the ravine, they saw Akahoshi crawling away from the thief, who shaped his star chakra into a beast.

"We can't use a frontal assault with these odds." Neji said.

"You probably can't." Naruto said as he flared Kyuubi's chakra. "But I can."

He charged with great speed and dodged any attacks the thief sent his way with the chakra. The thief had no other choice but to back away and block as many of Naruto's strikes as possible.

Akahoshi was shocked but smirked. This was the chance he was waiting for. He made a few handsigns. "Kujaku Myoho: Kemono!"

His chakra shaped into a beast and destroyed the part of the cliff both Naruto and the thief were standing on.

As they fell, the thief grabbed on to Naruto and used his chakra to fly away into his hideout.

"Thank you." Naruto said, once they landed, as he deactivated Kyuubi's chakra. He was glad it destroyed whatever gas tried to fill his lungs. Just a safeguard, in case the soul that gave him poison-immunity didn't work.

"An odd thing to say to someone who is supposedly your enemy." The thief, whose voice revealed was female, said as she took off her gas mask, revealing her face and long violet hair.

"While you are the one who stole the star, Akahoshi is the one who kidnapped one of his own shinobi. And that's even more suspicious."

The woman looked shocked. "So you know about Sumaru?"

Naruto nodded. "Two of my comrades are currently looking through Akahoshi's place to find out Sumaru's whereabouts."

"I see..." The woman seemed quite happy of the answer. "I am Natsuhi, Sumaru's mother."

"_That certainly explains why she was so happy."_ Naruto thought. "Naruto Uzumaki."

* * *

As Natsuhi prepared something to eat, she explained her reasoning for stealing the star. She, along with her late husband, tried to steal it away, 10 years prior, to stop all of the deaths caused by the training. But they were caught by the shinobi of the village. Fortunately, the Sandaime Hoshikage promised to suspend the star training to stop the needless deaths, however there would be others who would wish to learn from the star. After the promise, the Hoshikage banished her and her husband and ordered them to steal the star away should the training ever be resumed.

Natsuhi felt a presence outside and focused Star Chakra in her eyes. Akahoshi and his goons were outside. Both of them stepped outside.

"So, both of you survived." Akahoshi snarled. "Yotaga, Shisou!"

Akhoshi's followers flared their Star Chakra before Akahoshi's Kemono absorbed it. The duo lost consciousness. Akahoshi's Kemono was now just as large as Natsuhi's, although they had different shades.

Naruto overlooked the battle from the top of the rock next to them.

When the Kemonos started clashing, Akahoshi's had the advantage, surprisingly.

"My star training is self-taught." Akahoshi said. "I shouldn't even be able to reach your feet, since you underwent the original training. You don't have the same power as you did before! It seems like the star's side-effects are starting to affect you after all." He finished with a smirk.

Suddenly, Natsuhi gained the upper-hand, making Akahoshi wince.

"Even if I die, I will never forgive you!" She said.

Suddenly, Team Guy, Sumaru and his age group appeared on the scene, making Natsuhi stop upon seeing her son.

Akahoshi used this opportunity to trap Sumaru in Star Chakra Rope.

"Akahoshi-sama!" Hokuto called out. "Why would you do this!?"

"It's all for the sake of the village and to return the stolen star. There is no better bait than Sumaru to get the attention of his thieving mother!" Akahoshi's words shocked the group.

"Being the sole survivor of the previous star training, she only sought to end the pain!" Naruto yelled from his spot.

"To die for the village is a shinobi's desire!" Akahoshi argued before he turned to Sumaru. "That is what you want, right Sumaru? To become Hoshikage and make the five villages pay for mocking us?"

"Yes, I want to become Hoshikage." Sumaru said as he struggled in the ropes.

"Then show your determination to your mother!" Akahoshi ordered.

"Yes." Sumaru pulled out a kunai and pointed it at his neck.

Neji looked at Sumaru with his Byakugan. Sumaru and Akahoshi's chakra were synched.

"Sumaru is being controlled!" Neji said.

"What will it be, Natsuhi-sama? The star? Or your son's life?" Akahoshi asked.

"I admit defeat." Natsuhi said as she made a handsign.

The rock Naruto was standing on started moving. It revealed a cave that had a coffin in it. The coffin's lid opened and revealed a decaying corpse and the star.

Naruto made a Kage Bunshin, which appeared before Akahoshi and swiped at him, leaving a bleeding wound. The pain for the attack freed Sumaru while the real Naruto took the star and protected it.

"Naruto-san?" Natsuhi asked.

"Forgive me, Natsuhi-san." Naruto said. "But my mission is to guard the star. Which is why I shall protect it from Akahoshi."

"Yatta, Naruto-kun!" Lee said.

"You damn brat!" Akahoshi growled as he launched Kemono toward Naruto.

At this rate it was going, Naruto couldn't completely dodge it. The impact made a lot of smoke.

"NARUTO!" Team Guy and Natsuhi called out.

Big red eyes appeared in the smoke and a roar echoed in the area. The smoke dissipated to reveal dark purple chakra covering Naruto as it started taking a shape.

"Impossible!" Akahoshi said.

Naruto looked at the chakra in awe. He had planned to use Kyuubi's chakra to protect himself from the attack. He didn't think the meteorite would enhance the chakra.

The enhanced Kyuubi Star Chakra roared once more as it took the shape of the Kyuubi standing on its crouched hind legs, its nine tails waving freely.

The shinobi of Hoshigakure were shocked. How did he manage to shape the chakra without any training?

Neji gasped at he looked at Naruto with the Byakugan.

"What's wrong, Neji?" Tenten asked.

"Naruto has red chakra within him and it's slowly turning purple, due to the star." Neji explained.

"Is Naruto-kun in danger?" Lee asked.

"I can't say." Neji said. "His normal chakra seems completely unaffected, but what _is _this red chakra and what could change within Naruto if this chakra is changed?"

Shisou and Yataga regained consciousness at that moment and were scared of the new shape of chakra.

"Damn you!" Akahoshi said as he sent Kemono towards Naruto once again.

Naruto's eyes turned to Akahoshi and the 'Kitsune' effortlessly backhanded the Kemono, to Akahoshi's shock. Akahoshi and his followers were then restrained by a tail each.

"I am your employer!" Akahoshi roared.

"And Natsuhi-san is acting on the orders of the late Sandaime Hoshikage. Your argument is invalid." Naruto said. "First, the Hoshikage suspends Star Training. Then, upon his death, you step in and restart the training? I'm not buying your lies, assassin."

The entire group, with the trio restrained, return to the village and explained the Sandaime's backup plan. Some of the adults questioned why Akahoshi would kidnap a child to reach the thief, even if the thief was the child's mother. Akahoshi yelled out that the Sandaime was foolish to stop the training when Hoshigakure had a star that no other village had. The crazed look on Akahoshi's face said it all: he had assassinated the Sandaime Hoshikage and proudly claimed it when questioned.

The villagers all agreed that the training had to be stopped and Akahoshi, Shisou and Yataga were given heavy punishment.

The children of Hoshigakure, as well as Natsuhi, would also be sent to Konoha to see if Tsunade could heal whatever damage the Star Training did to them. As luck would have it, all of them, even Natsuhi and Mizura, would completely recover.

On the way back to Konoha, Naruto had to explain the Kyuubi's chakra to Team Guy and told them not to say a word of the beyond S-rank secret.

When they gave their report, Tsunade was obviously worried about the way the Kyuubi's chakra was enhanced, but a quick medical checkup showed that he was perfectly fine. He was fortunate that, through having the Power of Dominance, his body had a much greater adaptability than any other human.

* * *

**After checking the few next chapters, I decided that the next one will also be two chapters combined, so look forward to that.**

**Anyway, I got an important question. As some of you may know, once this story is over, I will be doing the Rosario Vampire fanfic with Tsukune having Emerl's abilities. What I wanna know is 'what about after that?' I have a few more Naruto-verse stories, it's the series I'm most familiar with, after all. Until the handful of Naruto-verse I have left are over, I want to alternate between Naruto-verse fanfics and other fanfics, to make sure I don't lose interest by _only_ doing Naruto-verse stories.**

**Here are my stories:**

**1) Naruto with Broly's powers.**

**This is a challenge I chose at Challenger's request. Oozaru Broly attacks Konoha instead of Kurama and Naruto gains the Berzerker's powers. While he will bulldoze through the Shinobi Realm at first, I have some ideas to mix things up.**

**2)The White Maelstrom sequel.**

**This one is obviously a long time coming and I doubt I need to explain. Anyone who read The White Mealstrom knows what this story will entail.**

**3)Naruto-Bioshock crossover.**

**I thought of this idea while reading DragonOTDarkFlame's Big Brother fanfic, which is a crossover of those two series. Basically, Naruto ends up in Rapture and becomes the 'Big Brother', a lightweight Big Daddy that can go underwater, which would inspire the creation of the Big Sisters. What I'm doing with this story is simple: Naruto gets injected with Plasmids and his chakra, combined with ADAM, make him more powerful than the people of Bioshock and more versatile than the Shinobi.**

**Tell me which one you are more interested in reading. I will be doing them in the most-voted to least-voted order.**


	9. Chapter 9: Coup d'état

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 9: Coup d'état**

A few days later, Naruto, Choji and Hinata were summoned to the Hokage's office for a mission: escorting a group of merchants to Na no Kuni. The merchants were already on their way when they were given the mission, meaning they had to prepare fast and catch up. When they caught up, they introduced themselves and everyone continued to Na no Kuni. On the way there, however, they saw smoke coming from their destination.

"I'll go on ahead and investigate." Naruto told Hinata and Choji. "You two keep following the road and protect the merchants." They nodded in compliance and Naruto left for Na no Kuni.

As he got closer to the border, Naruto was attacked and had to dodge a multitude of shuriken.

"Going by your headband, you must be a shinobi of Konoha." A voice echoed in the forest. "That must mean the people we are looking for are heading this way. Any outsiders who stray into this area must die!"

Naruto dodged an explosive kunai and two shinobi appeared before him, katana in hand. They charged forth and were about to attack, only for Muramasa to cut right through their blades and bodies. Two more souls for Naruto.

"Going by what they said, they are after someone in the caravan." Naruto said as he rushed back to the others.

* * *

Naruto met up with the caravan, who took a break while he explained the situation to Hinata and Choji.

"So they're looking for someone in the caravan?" Choji asked and Naruto nodded. "But why? Aren't they just merchants?"

"Obviously, someone among them knows something we don't." Naruto said.

"Or maybe they're targeting someone else and we're moving in the exact same path. Maybe we should change our course." Choji suggested.

Naruto sighed. "It's possible, but I wouldn't hold my breath."

Choji kindly explained to the merchants that they had to take a slightly longer path, for security's sake. Naruto noticed that Shun, Kikusuke and Yurinoshin looked at each other like they knew the real reason for the deviation. Naruto would keep an eye on them.

When they took the alternate path, Kikusuke snuck away with the agility of a shinobi. Naruto immediately sent a Kage Bunshin after him.

* * *

"_I will protect you at the cost of my life, Haruna-sama!"_ Kikusuke thought before he dodged some shuriken. He had seen where they came from, however, and unsheathed his katana and attacked, only to be blocked by a pair of tonfa. The man wielding them had purple hair and tear-shaped warpaint on his cheeks.

"Who are you?" Kikusuke demanded as he jumped away.

"The name's Ruiga." Ruiga introduced himself. "I have to say, I didn't think you'd come out here on your own. She must be a part of that group after all."

What neither of them knew, however, was that Naruto's Kage Bunshin was hidden within the trees and observing the whole thing. From what the enemy said, Kukisuke's presence meant that _she_, whoever _she_ is, must definitely be in the caravan. He would keep observing, to see what more he can dig up.

"If this is going to be one-on-one, then I will never lose to a Nuke-nin!" Kikusuke claimed.

Ruiga smirked. "I wonder if you can handle it."

"Feel the Hana Ninpo of Na no Kuni!" Kikusuke said as he charged. As he swung his katana, the flower heads of the field were floating around him. "Hana Shuriken!" The flower heads hardened and charged towards Ruiga like Shuriken, befitting the name.

Ruiga spun his tonfa in circles to block the flowers, deflecting and breaking all of them.

"Naive." Ruiga said as Kikusuke ran literal circles around him. Ruiga's eyes widened and he looked up. Many flowers were falling around him from above.

"Hana Ninpo: HyakkaSaiho!" Kikusuke called out as the flowers landed on the grass and exploded. "Ninpo: Kyokasui!" When Kikusuke said so, rose petals surrounded Ruiga.

"_Genjutsu."_ Naruto thought as he cancelled it on himself.

"You're going on Genjutsu, now?" Ruiga asked as he put his tonfa away and cancelled the Genjutsu. The moment he did so, lines of flames were heading towards Ruiga from all around him.

"Now to finish you off!" Kikusuke said. "Hana Ninpo: Hyakka Ryoran!"

The flames exploded, loud enough for the caravan to hear, upon reaching Ruiga, making a lot of smoke.

When the smoke dissipated, they saw that Ruiga had a water barrier around him.

Ruiga chuckled as the barrier fell and he held his tonfa forward. "Too bad. A Hana Shinobi will not defeat me. Now it's my turn. Suiton: Seibun Hofutsu!"

Water emerged from the surrounding plants. From the horror in Kikusuke's face, he must have known he couldn't win. Perfect.

Naruto appeared behind Ruiga, placed an arm around his neck and stabbed him right through the heart, stopping the Jutsu.

"D-Damn it!" Ruiga coughed blood. "There was...another one...hiding." He said before he let out his last breath. Naruto sneakily got his soul through their proximity.

"Naruto-san?" Kikusuke asked.

"You weren't sneaky enough." Naruto said as he dropped the corpse. "The original created a clone, me, to follow you."

"I see..." Kikusuke said as he bowed his head. "Forgive us for tricking you. Allow me to explain to the others when we get back."

"The original will receive my memories when I dispel, he shall explain everything to Hinata and Choji." Naruto said.

Kikusuke nodded. "Very well, then. My real name is Kikunojo and I am a personal guard of Haruna-sama, whom you know as Shun. Haruna-sama is the daughter of Na no Kuni's Daimyo. The man you killed was one of the Criminal Brothers that spurred a coup d'état in Na no Kuni, if that unusual Jutsu of his was anything to go by. My partner, Yurinojo, and I feared that our combined skills wouldn't be enough to protect Haruna-sama, so we hired Konoha's help, even if what little money we had made us lie about the Mission's importance."

To Naruto, it felt like the missions in Nami and Yuki. One had little money and the other had a princess.

"I see..." Naruto said. "Let's head back to the caravan. I'll dispel when we're completely safe."

With that, the two of them hurried back to the others.

* * *

Kikunojo and the clone arrived at the caravan to see them take a break. The clone dispelled and gave the original its chakra, memories and the soul. Naruto and Kikunojo explained the situation to their respective groups, leaving the merchants out of the problem.

Yurinojo and Haruna were shocked that Kikunojo would have died without Naruto's help and that one of the Criminal Brothers was dead.

"T-This is beyond the rank." Hinata said nervously. Choji nodded in agreement.

Naruto sighed. "I know, but can we really turn back at this point? We already got ourselves involved, so let's finish this mission."

The other two agreed and the caravan continued on its way. Although Choji guided the merchants to a nearby town for their safety, leaving Naruto and Hinata alone with the trio of Na no Kuni.

"They should have stayed with us." Haruna said. "They were still useful as decoys."

"Absolutely not." Naruto said. "My team's mission is to protect those merchants, but we ended up involved in this mess of a coup d'état. They are being taken to safety because that's what we're supposed to do. You won't last long as a Daimyo if you keep that attitude."

Kikunojo and Yurinojo stood in front of Haruna before they bowed to Naruto.

"Please forgive her." Kikunojo pleaded.

"When Haruna-sama was young, Na no Kuni was in the middle of a war and she was kept as a hostage by the enemy." Yurinojo explained. "When she returned, she stopped believe in people in general."

"Whether she believes in people or not isn't my business. All I am saying is that the people will not follow a Daimyo that cares little about them." Naruto said before they continued on their way.

* * *

Eventually, they set up camp for the night. Choji also caught up to them after bringing the merchants to safety. They could feel that they were being observed. Hinata and Haruna snuck away to avoid danger.

Naruto, who was seated in front of the campfire, jumped in the air to dodge an iron ball.

"Good reflexes." A fat man holding a Kusarigama complimented.

"You must be the second brother." Naruto said as Choji, Yurinojo and Kikunojo stood beside him.

"The name's Jiga. It should be an honor for you to know who I am. Feel pride in that, for none of you will survive this encounter." Jiga said as he spun the iron ball attached to his Kusarigama.

Naruto and Choji threw some Kunai at Jiga, only for the large man to swing his iron ball at the kunai, somehow making them stick to it. He swung his iron ball again, sending the kunai back to the quartet, forcing them to dodge.

"So, Ruiga used the plant life to get water and you deal with magnets?" Naruto asked.

"You're quite sharp." Jiga said. "Yes, I use Jinshaku Ninpo, thanks to ingesting iron since childhood. With all the iron in my body, I can change the magnetic polarity as I want. This mountain has a lot of steel in it, making it my ultimate battlefield."

"So you are a large magnet. Then all we need is something that isn't metallic." Naruto said.

Jiga chuckled. "Do you even have-"

Before he could finish, he had already been restrained by Naruto's Chakra Chains.

"These are chains made entirely of my chakra. Despite looking metallic, your Jinshaku Ninpo is useless against them." Naruto said before he looked at Kikunojo and Yurinojo, who nodded and unsheathed their katana.

Jiga tried struggling, but felt weaker the more he did so.

Kikunojo and Yurinojo readied themselves and gave Jiga the killing blows.

"We were lucky you had such an ability, Naruto-san." Kikunojo said as Naruto retracted the chains.

"No problem. Now, let's catch up to Hinata and Haruna." Naruto said. The others nodded and rushed to join the girls.

* * *

Luckily, due to how short the fight was, they managed to catch up to the girls. Hinata had her back turned to Haruna, who had a rock in her hand. Naruto appeared next to the princess and grabbed her wrist.

"Don't even think about it." He said. Hinata turned around upon hearing Naruto's voice. She was horrified when she saw the rock in Haruna's hand, understanding the implications. "What were you even thinking?"

"I can't count on you guys!" Haruna said. "So long as I live, Na no Kuni as a chance to survive! I don't care who is sacrificed for my survi-"

***Smack***

Before she could finish, Naruto had slapped her, to everyone's shock. Haruna held her cheek as she looked at Naruto in shock.

"You're pathetic. If we follow your 'logic', then everything crumbles. That attitude of yours will make people rebel, destroying the very place you think will survive so long as you live. It's the people who choose who they follow, not the leader. If you think your people will follow you, no matter what, with your attitude, then you're just like the Daimyo that wish to wage war, just like those that took you hostage!"

Haruna's eyes widened.

Suddenly, the group was surrounded by another group of shinobi.

"Finally found you!" They looked up and saw a tall man, with brown hair and an outfit like Ruiga and Jiga, floating in mid-air. "It's impossible to run away from me."

"You must be the third Brother." Naruto said.

"Is he flying?" Choji couldn't help but ask.

"I am Renga, and low-ranking shinobi like you can't even imagine techniques like mine!" Renga said as he sent waves of transparent...Naruto had no idea what it was.

Naruto rushed forth and barely dodged the attack before he ran up a tree and jumped to reach and try to punch Renga, only to hit a transparent barrier.

"_He is manipulating something solid and transparent..."_ Naruto thought. Glass? Or maybe...

"Ice." Naruto said as he landed on the ground. "You're manipulating ice."

"Very good." Renga praised. "I can gather the water particles from the vapor in the air to create ice crystals."

Naruto scowled. Since his attacks were technically invisible, he had to end this quickly. He unleashed his chains, only for them to wrap themselves around a spherical barrier around Renga.

"It's useless." Renga said. "I watched your battle with Jiga. I will not be caught by the same trick."

"So I see." Naruto said as he started leaking purple chakra. "Then I will have to use something else."

Renga's eyes widened as the purple chakra took the shape of the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

"I-Isn't that...?" Choji stuttered.

"W-Wasn't the Kyuubi's chakra red?" Hinata wondered as she looked at Naruto with Byakugan. The purple chakra was flowing through Naruto like the red one once did, but it was stronger.

Kitsune grabbed the barrier and crushed it in its hands before grabbing Renga and applying pressure. When Renga's followers tried to attack Naruto, they were restrained by Kitsune's tails.

"Even if you kill me, Na no Kuni will be consumed by war without its Daimyo!" Renga said, causing Haruna, Kikunojo and Yurinojo's eyes to widen.

"You killed the Daimyo." Naruto stated.

"That's right. It was hilarious, watching him beg for us to treat his people fairly and whimper about how regretful he was of sending his only daughter as a hostage for his Country's well-being. It was pathetic! He was nothing more than an idealistic old fool!"

"I've heard enough." Naruto said. "Choji!"

Choji nodded and jumped in the air. "Baika no jutsu!" He inflated and turned into a ball. "Nikudan Sensha!"

The moment Kitsune let go of Renga, the ice user was squashed and rolled over by Choji.

"Hinata!" Naruto called out.

Hinata charged with her Byakugan. "Juken!" She said before she struck Renga's heart with a palm strike, making him cough blood before dying.

"Haruna-sama..." Kikunojo muttered as he looked at the princess, who was clearly distraught.

"Chichi-ue..." Haruna sobbed as tears streamed down her face. "I will bring peace to the people of Na no Kuni, Chichi-ue, this I swear on my life."

"Glad to hear it." Naruto said as he dismissed Kitsune, freeing Renga's followers, who promptly fled. "Shall we keep going?"

* * *

Upon arriving to a village, at dawn, they were surprised when they met up with Shizune and Shikamaru. Apparently, Tsunade got some information on the coup d'état and sent some available shinobi to deal with it, to Haruna, Kikunojo and Yurinojo's joy.

Soon after, Haruna was named Daimyo and the Konoha shinobi had to leave.

* * *

Several days later, Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi and Lee are given a B-rank mission: Heading to Tsuki no Kuni and protect the prince, Michiru, during his world trip.

While walking through a desert, they saw a large group of carriages headed their way.

"What are they all carrying?" Sakura wondered as the carriages stopped next to them.

"This is everything I've bought!" They turned to the first carriage to see an overweight man getting out. "There were so many things that I splurged on while travelling, and before I knew, I had this much. I am the prince of Tsuki no Kuni, Michiru Tsuki. And you are?"

"We come from Konoha." Kakashi said. "I am the captain, Kakashi Hatake." He then gestured to the Genin. "The blond is Naruto Uzumaki, the girl is Sakura Haruno and the last one is Rock Lee. The four of us will be your escort until you return home."

"I see. I'm counting on you guys!" Michiru said before he walked in front of Sakura and took a closer look at her face. "You're pretty cute! Are you really a ninja, even though you're such a cutie?"

"You'd be surprised at how many competent Kunoichi become quite gorgeous." Naruto said.

Kakashi nodded in agreement. "Indeed, a Kunoichi's looks often reflects their skills. Their training gives them a healthy and beautiful appearance. So while Sakura may look young, she's skilled."

"Is that so?" Michiru asked before he held his hand out to Sakura. "Nice to meet you, little lady."

"Nice to meet you." Sakura greeted back as she shook Michiru's hand.

Michiru then used his free hand to lightly caress the back of Sakura's hand, to Sakura's shock and Lee's horror. Michiru had a slight blush on his cheek. Sakura soon had a sickly-sweet smile on her face and ever so slightly crushed the hand she was shaking.

Michiru let out a wail of pain as he tried to pull his hand away, unsuccessfully until Sakura let go of the appendage.

"She's also stronger than most adults." Kakashi added as an afterthought.

"I see." Michiru said as Lee tried to hold his snickers and Naruto had a smirk.

Naruto, with his reflexes, caught a toy arrow aiming for his headband.

"Good catch." A black-haired, glass-wearing boy with a toy bow said as he got out of the same carriage as Michiru. "We may have some good escorts after all."

"Your son?" Naruto asked Michiru as he gave the arrow back to the boy.

Michiru nodded. "His name is Hikaru. Please forgive him, he's a little demon."

The shinobi greeted the boy before the world trip continued. A couple of bandits tried to attack in the middle of the dessert, but they were easily dealt with.

When they stopped for the night, they saw a handful of chefs preparing meals after meals for Michiru and Hikaru.

* * *

"Do you plan to take over as king?" Kakashi asked Michiru as he walked next to the prince's carriage.

"Of course! Once Papa retires, that is." Michiru said from inside the carriage. "But, he's still plenty healthy, so that's a ways off."

Naruto could see Hikaru, on a small platform behind the carriage, playing a handheld game.

"He even sent us on this journey." Michiru explained. "Speaking of which, what kind of person is Konoha's king?"

"She can't really be called a king, but Hokage-sama is an excellent person. Both as a shinobi and everything else." Kakashi said as Naruto snorted. Whatever kingdom Tsunade reigned in would be ruined with all her gambling.

"Does the person have to be an heir to be Hokage?" Michiru asked.

Kakashi glanced at Naruto, who pretended not to notice by keeping watch on Hikaru, before turning back to Michiru. "No. Only the strongest and most committed member of the village becomes Hokage. Naruto is a good example. He is easily the strongest of my students and is always calm and collected. He may very well get the seat in a couple of years."

Michiru poked his head out of the window to look at Naruto. "Wow, you're pretty amazing!"

Naruto shrugged. "I just stay focused, really. Nothing to praise there."

"That's so stupid." Hikaru muttered before he realized he was heard and pretended he didn't say anything.

Naruto ignored him anyways, so there was no problem.

* * *

Eventually, they stopped by a town that had a circus in it. Michiru and Hikaru decided to watch and were very entertained...or mesmerized in Hikaru's case. Sakura especially enjoyed the Kangooroo boxing fight, although Lee and Naruto had to dodge her randomly thrown punches.

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for." The circus' Ringmaster announced. "Time for the rare Siberian tiger's appearance!"

The spotlights focused on a higher platform, revealing a Sabertooth tiger. It gave out a mighty roar, startling the public. The tiger jumped down to a small podium.

"Behold, the Siberian tiger, Cham!" The Ringmaster said. "And his partner, Kiki!"

A small monkey did a few backflips before landing on Cham's head.

"Please enjoy their performance!" Everyone started cheering.

Cham and Kiki then stood on opposite sides of the stage and threw, headbutted in Cham's case, a beach ball like they played Volleyball. Cham would then run and jump across rings of fire.

Hikaru was mesmerized by Cham more than anything else he had seen.

Then an archer came to the stage and Kiki held an apple with a single finger. The archer aimed and shot an arrow dead on the apple, making people applaud. Kiki then held another apple and Cham stood on its hind legs and started leaning side to side, giving extra challenge.

Only for a toy arrow to hit the apple...

Naruto facepalmed. Why did this have to happen?

The spotlights then landed on Hikaru.

"That was easy..." Hikaru said.

"That was amazing, young man!" The Ringmaster said. "How about this?" He snapped his fingers and Kiki held another apple and Cham ran around the stage. "If you can hit this one, you'll get a reward!"

Hikaru focused for a moment before he shot his arrow...Bullseye.

Michiru applauded. "That's amazing, Hikaru!"

The rest of the public also applauded.

"That boy's pretty good, isn't he?" Lee asked.

"He's quite the marksman..." Naruto agreed.

The Ringmaster walked up to Hikaru and gave him his compliments before asking what he wanted as a reward. Hikaru said he wanted Cham. The Ringmaster wasn't completely sure, as Cham was not only large and ferocious, but important for the circus. Michiru said he took a liking to the circus and bought the _entirety_ of said circus, to the Konoha Team's astonishment.

* * *

As the circus started packing, Cham's roar was heard. The team rushed in the direction and saw Cham stalking towards a scared Hikaru, who tried to offer the tiger an apple.

When Cham was about pounced at Hikaru, Naruto stood between the two and gave the tiger a stare, intimidating him. Such was the ability of one who controls all monsters.

"Be careful, Young Master!" The Ringmaster warned. "Cham doesn't like people."

"Do something about it!" Michiru demanded as he grabbed the Ringmaster's shoulders. "This thing is dangerous!"

"There won't be any problem while I am around." Naruto said, his gaze never leaving the tiger, who backed away. The sight calmed Michiru down.

Hikaru ran away, upset that Cham tried to attack him.

"That was incredible, Naruto-kun!" Lee exclaimed as flames appeared in his eyes. "Your Flames of Youth were so great that they intimidated the tiger!"

"_I had no idea that Naruto had such a powerful presence."_ Sakura thought as she stared at her teammate.

Eventually, the caravan continued, with the circus crew following behind. Hikaru, from his father's carriage, was sadly staring at the caged Cham.

* * *

They arrived at a port village, but it had boats ready, due to recent storms. While temporary vessels would be prepared, Michiru decided to visit his wife, who lived in the village. Hikaru was shocked that he'd meet his mother.

The carriage stopped at a yellow house. A black-haired woman wearing a green sundress was taking care of the yard as the carriage stopped.

Michiru got out of the carriage with several bouquets of flowers.

"Long time no see, Amayo!" Michiru said jovially as Hikaru stood next to the carriage.

Amayo's eyes widened and she dropped the plate of berries as she walked forward.

Michiru held his arms out, dropping a few bouquets, and readied himself for a hug. Amayo, however, walked by Michiru and looked at Hikaru.

"You're Hikaru, right?" Amayo asked as she looked at the boy she knew was her son before hugging him. "You've grown, Hikaru."

Hikaru blushed shyly.

Michiru cleared his throat, getting Amayo's attention.

"Who are you?" She asked.

Michiru became distraught and dropped the rest of the bouquets. "You're mean, Amayo! It's me. Me!"

Amayo looked shocked. "Michiru?"

"That's right!"

"What happened to you!? You're like a different person! What's with all the extra weight!?"

"I became like this because I ate all the time to ease my sorrows of you leaving me!" Michiru said.

Michiru and Amayo went inside the house and had an argument as Michiru tried to explain that he wanted her back. It didn't end so well...

At sunset, the vessel was ready, unfortunately, not everything could be loaded in it.

However, Hikaru came to Naruto with a shocking demand.

* * *

"Run that by me again?" Naruto asked.

"If you become my servant, I'll give you everything you want!" Hikaru claimed. "Toys, games, I have a lot of them!"

Naruto sighed. "While I can be a bodyguard for the trip, I can't be much more than that, as I serve another Country." Naruto said as he walked away.

That satisfied Hikaru for now. He could always find a way to get Naruto as a servant with the given time.

* * *

During the cruise, in the middle of the night, Hikaru saw Kiki taking an apple from his table. When the monkey saw it was found, it tried running away. Hikaru then took the apple to the monkey and held it out, causing Kiki to cautiously walk back towards him. Hikaru then followed Kiki to the circus animals.

Naruto, having said he could be a bodyguard for the trip, had kept an eye on Hikaru and followed him, to the team's confusion.

Cham growled when he saw Hikaru. The boy tried to befriend the tiger again by holding out an apple, only for Cham to roar, scaring Hikaru.

"What's your problem?" Hikaru whined as he threw the apple in frustration. The apple hit one of the cage's bars. The action angered Cham, who started roaring louder.

Naruto stayed on the sidelines. The boy wasn't in any danger, so long as the angered Cham was caged. He then heard lightning strikes. He looked at the direction of the noise and saw a storm brewing. It would hit the cruiser soon.

* * *

When the storm hit the cruiser, later in the night, the shinobi team and the circus crew had to make sure the animals didn't fall overboard.

"Just let them be." Hikaru told Naruto as the latter was about to head for the deck. "I'm already bored of them."

"Your father bought you both Cham and the circus. And now that you're no longer interested you want to let them die in the storm? Keep up this attitude and you will make for a pathetic king." Naruto said before running off to the deck.

Naruto's blunt words shocked Hikaru. The boy was silent for a moment before he clenched his fists. "I'm not pathetic!"

As the Konoha team and the circus crew emptied the cage and led the animals inside, Hikaru headed straight for Cham's cage. While the wind and waves were stronger than Hikaru, the boy managed to reach the cage. The keys were on the lock, whoever tried to open it must have been repelled by the waves. He twisted the key and opened the cage. The following waves washed Kiki, Hikaru and Cham overboard.

"God dammit!" Naruto said as he jumped off and made multiple Kage Bunshin. They held hands and served as rope for the trio, pulling them back to the boat.

Naruto dragged them inside until the storm stopped the next morning. Cham became friendly and loyal to Hikaru after the risks he took.

* * *

Eventually, they reached the island of Tsuki no Kuni, which was shaped like a Crescent Moon.

Michiru's carriage was dropped at the dock and the Team, as well as Michiru and Hikaru headed for the palace. The rest of the luggage would take time to unload.

"How weird." Michiru said as he poked his head through the window. "This street is always supposed to be busy."

"And yet it's empty." Sakura said as she looked around.

There were, however, shinobi with ill-intent tailing them. Kakashi and Naruto noticed them through the back alleys and on the roofs.

They eventually arrived at the palace. Its massive gates opened for them.

"No one's coming to greet us..." Michiru said as he got out of the carriage.

The moment he said that, however, a brown-haired man with sideburns and a moustache walked out of the castle.

"Ah, Shabadaba!" Michiru greeted.

"My, my, if it isn't Michiru-dono!" Shabadaba said. "Good job travelling through the different Countries. It's wonderful that you returned safely!"

"Thank you, Shabadaba!" Michiru said. "But that aside, the town looks a bit odd. Did something happen?"

Shabadaba was silent for a moment, worrying Michiru a bit before the prince noticed something.

"Where's Papa? I don't see him around."

"The king...has died!" Shabadaba announced joyfully.

Michiru's eyes widened in horror as soldiers surrounded the group. The shinobi team braced themselves.

"I shall inherit the throne now!" Shabadaba claimed. "So you, the heir, are in my way! Kill him!" The soldiers charged with battle cries.

"Your majesty, please get inside the carriage!" Kakashi demanded. Michiru nodded and dragged Hikaru inside the carriage.

Lee used effective Taijutsu to knock the soldiers out while Sakura and Naruto respectively used a kunai or Muramasa to deflect the soldiers' weapons before using their fists or feet to knock them out.

"Get out of here!" Kakashi ordered the man riding the carriage. The man didn't need to be told twice. However, soldiers managed to overwhelm him before the carriage could get away. Kakashi repelled the soldiers.

The more the soldiers tried to overwhelm them with numbers, the more Naruto made clones to balance things in his team's favor.

Suddenly, an armored carriage arrived. A black-haired jumped out and attacked the royal soldiers.

"Korega?" Shabadaba said in shock.

"It's Captain Korega!" The soldiers muttered amongst themselves.

"He's a traitor! Kill him quickly!" Shabadaba ordered.

The soldiers charged and Korega was forced to knock out his former comrades. Kakashi quickly assisted the man.

"Thank you." Korega said as he and Kakashi stood back to back. "Who are you?"

"A hired guard from Konoha." Kakashi answered.

Korega sighed in relief. "That's the best news I've heard in a while!"

"At any rate, take care of the carriage. His majesty and his son are inside." Kakashi said.

Korega nodded as got on the carriage and rode it to safety. The Konoha shinobi, as well as the armored carriage, quickly followed the carriage and Kakashi used a Doton Jutsu to block the path.

"What are they?" Shabadaba wondered as he looked at the blockade.

* * *

"Your help really saved us back there!" Korega said. "I apologize for not explaining the situation in advance!"

"What's our next move?" Kakashi asked.

"We have friends in Sanchu." Korega said. "We're going there now!"

Eventually, they arrived at Sanchu, which was a cave. Within it lied the sleeping body of the king.

"The king knew that minister Shabadaba would want the crown one day." Korega explained. "Even so, the king hoped he would understand him someday. However, the minister continued to walk the path of anarchy. Luckily, since we knew about this beforehand, we were able to offer our advice to the king, and came to the conclusion to execute the minister. And just in case the worst were to happen, we had his majesty, Michiru and Hikaru-dono, go overseas under the disguise of travelling our neighbouring Countries."

"So that was why... No way!" Michiru muttered.

"The king had planned to deal with the minister." Korega explained. "However, the minister had already hired some wandering ninja and had a military force set up. Their counterattack was greater than we had expected and we were forced to flee. But in the end, the king was..." he trailed off.

"Jiji-sama..." Hikaru muttered.

"I am an apprentice medic-nin." Sakura said. "May I take a look?"

Michiru and Hiraku stepped aside for her. She uncovered the king's torso and saw the damage. Most of the king's body had been petrified!

Naruto's eyes narrowed. Good thing he had a dominated soul that gave him immunity to petrification.

"It seems that one of the shinobi has some sort of special ability." Korega said. "The king was poisoned while leading us!"

"_Poison too?"_ Naruto also had poison-immunity, but how many more would he need?

"How is he, Sakura?" Kakashi asked.

Sakura used the diagnostic Jutsu.

After a thorough analysis, she managed to use her knowledge of medical ninjutsu to stop the petrification. It did little to save the king, however, as he should have been tended immediately after he was attacked. He had very little time left.

"You're back, Michiru." The king rasped as he awakened.

"Papa!" Michiru gasped.

"Jiji-sama!" Hikaru called out.

"Your majesty!" Korega said.

"Hikaru as well?" The king asked. "Thank goodness."

The Konoha team then introduced themselves to the king and informed him of their mission.

"Is that so?" The king asked. "Thank you for taking care of them. How is the country doing, Korega?"

"Unfortunately, it's going to fall to rebel hands at this rate." Korega said grimly.

"I see. Michiru, what do you think of this country right now?" The king asked.

"What do I think?" Michiru repeated. "I think it's a very rich, pretty and wonderful country."

"But I think that fortune alone does not bring happiness." The king said.

"Huh?" Michiru wondered what his father meant.

"Smiles, happiness, hopes and dreams..." The king trailed off. "I wanted to create a country that was peaceful and charitable. It's a shame that Shabadaba, who I had considered a comrade, could not understand this."

"I don't understand what you're saying!" Michiru said. "You sound just like Amayo!"

"Did you see her?" The king asked. "How did it go?"

Michiru simply shook his head.

"I see..." It was enough for the king.

"She said that I don't understand what is important." Michiru explained.

"As straightforward as ever, I see." The king said, sounding amused. "I thought that her scolding you would be perfect, but I never thought that she would become disgusted with you like this. It's such a shame. 'What is important', she said? Please listen to my final words, Michiru."

Michiru, Hikaru and the soldiers loyal to the king were shocked.

"I can't tell you what is most important in my current condition. You will become the next king."

Michiru, Hikaru and the soldiers started crying.

"All of you bodyguards... I'm sure you already know what it is, but please hear my final request... Please protect my son and grandson..."

"We will, even if it costs us our lives." Kakashi swore.

"Thank you..." The king said as he drew closer to death. "Michiru... I'm counting on you."

"PAPA!" Michiru cried out!

* * *

"Jiji-sama always treated me so kindly." Hikaru told Naruto as they walked outside. "He even made this bow for me. I tried really hard and he was always so happy whenever I hit a bullseye. I really loved him."

"Did you understand what your Jiji-sama was saying, Hikaru?" Naruto asked.

Hikaru shook his head.

"Then listen to me." Naruto said, getting Hikaru's full attention. "He was talking about the heart."

Hikaru placed his hand on his chest. "The heart?"

Naruto nodded. "You and your father grew up believing that what can be bought is what makes people happy. The truth is: when people want to be with you because they want to be, not because you give them something, is what makes someone truly happy and makes it important to them."

"_While I can be a bodyguard for the trip, I can't be much more than that, as I serve another country."_ Naruto's response to becoming Hikaru's servant echoed in the boy's mind.

"Is that why you prefer serving Konoha over becoming my servant?" Hikaru asked. "Because Konoha is more important to you than anything I could give you?"

Naruto nodded. "That's right. Another good example would be that handheld game of yours. If it ever breaks, you could always get another one with the same games in it. However, nothing that can be bought with money, toys or games could ever replace your Jiji-sama in your heart."

Hikaru's eyes widened. "Jiji-sama is more important to me than any of my toys. My bow is important to me because Jiji-sama made it for me."

"You're catching on." Naruto grinned. "If you keep _this_ up, you'll become a great king, like your Jiji-sama."

Hikaru's face lit up at the words of encouragement.

* * *

Later that night, Hikaru, Michiru and the soldiers were headed to the port in a carriage. The Konoha team was running next to the carriage.

"We don't have a strong military force." Korega said. "It's too weak to be able to stand up against the minister. For the time being, we would like to send the new king and Hikaru-dono overseas. Our best tactic would be for him to meet with our allied countries and form a stronger military force."

They eventually reached a beach with the boats ready for travel. However, the Konoha team and Michiru had to dodge an explosive kunai. When the smoke from the explosion dissipated, three shinobi stood before them: a white-haired girl, a large brown-haired man and an orange-haired man.

"Are you guys stupid or what?" The girl of the trio asked mockingly.

"We saw a light coming from the coast." The apparent leader, the orange-haired one, explained. "It was so obvious that you had made arrangements to get those ships. Now why don't you hand over that man and the brat?"

"Not a chance." Naruto said as he drew his blade. "We have a job to do, just like you three."

"You've got guts, brat." Naruto heard the orange-haired man's voice behind him.

Naruto immediately turned around and swiped, only for the Nuke-nin to jump over the blade and try to kick Naruto, but the blond blocked the kick with his forearm.

The Nuke-nin was then immediately kicked in the back by Rock Lee, knocking him away.

"What took you so long?" Naruto asked as he kept his gaze on the Nuke-nin.

"Forgive me, Naruto-kun. I have no idea why it took me so long to realize the enemy's proximity. I shall pay more attention from now on." Lee swore.

The large brown-haired man charged toward the team, but he was slower. Naruto met the man midway, to the latter's shock, and wounded him with an upward slash before kicking him in the face, knocking him back.

"Kongo!" The girl called out before she charged towards Naruto.

She started running circles around Naruto. Flower petals appeared in her pattern and she disappeared within them. A Genjutsu. No matter.

Naruto blocked an attack coming from the right with Muramasa. He blocked more strikes until he turned around and cancelled the Genjutsu. She was right in front of him.

He ran his left pointer and middle finger along Muramasa's blade, channeling wind chakra. He then aimed for the girl's neck, prompting her to try and block. Before the blades clashed, however, Naruto's left hand twitched. Suddenly, a bleeding wound on both the girl's right arm and her waist, to her shock. Once, Muramasa clashed with the girl's blade, she was knocked back several feet by the force of the attack.

"Fuuton: Tsubame Gaeshi." Naruto said. This Jutsu consisted of using wind chakra to attack multiple body parts at the same time. Molding pure wind chakra on his left hand through Muramasa's blade, Naruto waited until Muramasa was about to strike to unleash the chakra on his hand, creating the illusion of striking three different places at the same time.

Kakashi was also shocked. He knew Naruto was good, but to be able to react to the enemy before even himself? Was there a Genjutsu that he didn't notice? Kakashi tried releasing it, but nothing changed.

"It's not a Genjutsu." The orange-haired one said as he got up. "Our explosive kunai released a reaction-dulling poison that messes with the five senses. Though why your blond friend is unaffected by it is a mystery."

"_A poison mist, of course!"_ Kakashi realized. _"That explains why Naruto is unaffected. He probably received some kind of resistance through the Kyuubi."_

"Karenbana, Kongo! We are pulling back for now! The older heir is enough!" The leader said as the royal soldiers retreated with a restrained Michiru. The trio of Nuke-nin quickly retreated.

"PAPA!" Hikaru called out.

"Save me!" Michiru cried out.

Kakashi cursed inwardly. Now that Michiru was taken hostage, they couldn't leave Tsuki no Kuni. After all, they promised the late king.

* * *

The next morning, everyone snuck close to the castle.

"Security's pretty tight." Kakashi said as he came back from his recon. "I couldn't sneak inside. We don't have much time."

"All we can do is give up then." A soldier said.

"Can you really do that!?" Another growled.

"What are you telling me to do then!? There's so few of us! It doesn't matter how powerful these guys are! It's impossible!"

"At the very least, we need to let Hikaru-sama escape overseas." A third soldier said.

"You really think Hikaru will go anywhere without his father?" Naruto asked, getting everyone's attention. "Besides, we..." He gestured to his team. "...promised to the late king that we'd protect both Hikaru _and_ Michiru. We have to think of something."

"Naruto-niichan..." Hikaru muttered.

"That's right." Kakashi said. "We can't go back on our word."

"I'm ready!" Lee saluted.

"I am as well!" Sakura said.

They then heard footsteps coming their way. Everyone went on guard, but the 'intruders' were Cham and Kiki.

Hikaru immediately ran up to the tiger and hugged it.

"Hey, Cham! What's wrong with you all of a sudden?" They heard the Ringmaster's voice.

* * *

As it turned out, the circus crew made it to the palace, only to be threatened to leave by the soldiers, causing the animals to run away in this very forest. This gave Kakashi an idea, however. Since when were military forces trained to defend themselves against a well-organized circus? They would definitely deserve their money with this one.

By nighttime, the plan was ready. Michiru stood on a plank, which would soon break under his weight, high on a tower with a rope around his neck.

The circus, with their music on full blast, marched jovially toward the castle gate.

"You guys again!?" One of the guards growled.

"W-Well, you see..." the Ringmaster stuttered before flinching when a spear was pointed at him. The man sure can put on a show when he wants to get paid.

"Leave already!" The guard growled.

"That's weird!" Kakashi, disguised as a member of the circus, walked by the Ringmaster and stood in front of the guards. "We were called and came to do a show."

"I didn't hear anything about it!" one of the guards growled.

"There's no way that's right, is there?" Kakashi asked as he moved his eyepatch and used his Sharingan to knock the guards out with a Genjutsu.

The circus crew opened the gate and entered the castle yard. Its music and attractions gathered the attention of everyone in the castle.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Konoha team, along with Hikaru and the soldiers loyal to the king entered the castle through a secret passage.

"We were the only ones the king told at this passage." Korega whispered.

"Hikaru-sama." Another guard whispered as he gave Hikaru some real arrows. "I made these for you. I hope they will be of some assistance."

"Thank you." Hikaru whispered.

They immediately started running in the empty hallway.

"According to Kakashi-sensei, Michiru-san should be in the highest terrace." Sakura said.

They eventually ended up by the main entrance. Korega gave Sakura and she nodded.

"Kakashi-sensei!" She whispered in her headset.

* * *

Kakashi nodded as he heard Sakura's signal. "Time to get started." He whispered.

Kakashi stood in front of the fountain. "We're finally reaching the climax of our program! Everyone, please enjoy...this!" He immediately uncovered his Sharingan and made several handsigns. The water in the fountain rose and shaped into a dragon before spewing water at the soldiers.

When the soldiers started attacking, the animals of the circus easily overwhelmed them.

"ISHIDATE!" Shabadaba roared.

"I know!" The orange-haired Nuke-nin said as he and his teammates left.

* * *

Naruto turned to Hikaru, who was shaking like a leaf.

"Don't worry, we'll save your dad." He said.

Hikaru nodded, reassured.

"Let's go." Korega said as everyone ran up the many sets of stairs. "The highest terrace is at the throne room. Even with our few numbers, this should be possible."

Unfortunately, Kongo stood in there way.

"So the leader was right." The large man said. "He was always good at reading things. Like figuring out that the ruckus outside was just a diversion. Those things are obvious to him."

"Everyone, go on ahead." Lee said as he stepped forward.

The rest of the group nodded and ran into a nearby hallway.

Kongo tried to intercept them, but Lee stood in his way.

As the group ran up some more stairs, Sakura threw a kunai at a wall. Karenbana released her camouflage as she dodged it.

"Good job noticing me." She said mockingly.

"You stink of perfume." Sakura taunted. "Bad tastes for a kid."

Karenbana had an angered look. "Kid!?"

Sakura drew another kunai. "I'll hold her off. Go on ahead."

Karenbana didn't even try stopping the others, she was too angry at Sakura for calling her a kid.

Soon, the group had almost reached the throne room's tower. They could see Michiru on a plank, a rope around his neck.

"Papa!" Hikaru called out.

"Hikaru?" Michiru said as he looked below.

Korega was about to enter the tower, but Ishidate jumped down from the tower and grabbed Korega's face. The back of Ishidate's gauntlet opened to reveal an eye. Korega was quickly petrified and thrown aside, breaking into rubble.

"Captain Korega!" The soldiers cried out.

The group was then immediately surrounded by guards.

"In the end, your plan was all in vain." Ishidate said as he stepped forward.

Everyone then heard Cham's roar as the tiger ran up to the scene.

Naruto immediately used the distraction to throw a smoke bomb. When the smoke dissipated, Ishidate saw that Naruto was by himself, while the king's soldiers ran away along with Cham, with Hikaru on the tiger's back.

"So you stayed behind?" Ishidate asked.

"You would have given chase anyway." Naruto said as he discarded his heavy coat.

***Boom***

"What _are_ you?" Ishidate asked as he saw the large crater the coat made. The royal soldiers preferred to chase after the others than stay anywhere close to Naruto.

"Someone higher than you in the food chain." Naruto answered.

Ishidate scowled at the boast and levitated several stones from the floor itself. He turned them all into several small projectiles that he shot toward Naruto, who dodged them all with impressive speed. Naruto then charged toward Ishidate and they started trading blows, with neither of them landing a decent hit. They both jumped away from each other.

Naruto carefully looked at his opponent, whose eyes now had a hint of insanity in them.

Ishidate couldn't believe it. This brat? Equal to him in skill? Impossible... Impossible! He let out a war cry as he grabbed a piece of the floor and had it shoot small projectiles even faster than before.

Naruto cursed and used the Kyuubi's chakra to gain greater speed. After dodging the projectiles, he charged at Ishidate and stabbed him in the gut.

Ishidate coughed blood but didn't give in. He grabbed Naruto's shoulder with his gauntlet and its eye opened. Ishidate started laughing but stopped when he noticed something was wrong. The brat wasn't petrifying!

"What are you!?" Ishidate demanded.

Naruto smirked. "I already told you: I'm someone higher than you in the food chain. It's over." Two Kage Bunshin appeared behind Ishidate. "Fuuton: Tsubame Gaeshi."

Ishidate screamed in pain as they gave him slashes after slashes with insane speed. His body fell on the floor, deathly pale from the bloodloss. Due to no one looking their way, the soul went unnoticed.

Naruto's head snapped up as he heard the sound of snapping wood.

"Papa!" Hikaru called out from the opposite tower.

"Hikaru! Use your arrows!" Naruto screamed.

Hikaru's eyes widened before he turned to Cham.

"Cham, please, I need your help! Help me reach Papa!" The boy pleaded as he got on the tiger's back.

Cham took a running start and jumped off the tower. Hikaru aimed his arrow at the rope holding his father and shot. The arrow pierced the rope and three of them started falling.

Only for Kitsune to catch Michiru with one hand and Cham and Hikaru with the other.

"Gotcha." Naruto said.

Hikaru looked at Kitsune fearfully as it let them down to the floor. "What is that, Naruto-niichan?"

"Just a little something I gained during one of my many missions." Naruto said as he used Muramasa to cut the knot tying the rope around Michiru's neck, allowing the soon-to-be-king to take deep breaths of air as Hikaru hugged him.

"Y-You..." They all turned to see Shabadaba.

"Shabadaba!" Michiru roared as he started chasing the scared minister.

* * *

Due to Kakashi overusing his Sharingan, the team remained in Tsuki no Kuni for the next two weeks. During that time, Michiru was named king of Tsuki no Kuni and the people rejoiced. Michiru also gave his all to lose weight, in order to win back Amayo's heart. Sakura enjoyed the two-week 'vacation' to her fullest. Naruto was always amused to see the steam coming out of Lee's nostrils and ears whenever he saw Sakura in a bikini. But, once Kakashi fully recovered, it was time to leave. The entire country came to the port to say goodbye to their heroes.

* * *

As Naruto took a walk in the nearby forest, he saw a girl with waist-length brown hair painting the Hokage Tower and Monument which you could see from this spot. There was a clear difference, however. She painted thunder clouds in the sky whereas the real sky was clear and sunny.

"Pretty impressive." Naruto commented.

If the girl was surprised of his sudden appearance, she hid it well.

"What's with the thunder clouds, though?" He asked. He then noticed thunder clouds were quickly gathering in the sky. "How the hell...?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she painted a lightning bolt striking down at the Hokage tower. The moment she finished, lightning struck the roof of the Hokage Tower.

Naruto's eyes widened. How did she do that? One thing was for sure, though...

"Someone has a grudge." He commented.

The girl said nothing as she packed her supplies.

Some shinobi quickly combined their strength into a Suiton Jutsu that extinguished the fire caused by the lightning strike.

A pair of medic-nin appeared and held her before giving her an injection of sleeping agent that knocked her out.

"She sure caused a lot of trouble." One of them said.

"Let's hurry and take her back." The second one said.

"Somebody mind explaining what's going on?" Naruto asked, getting their attention.

An ANBU member immediately appeared in front of him. "Naruto Uzumaki, you are to return to the village at once."

"I suppose getting an explanation is out of the question?" Naruto asked.

The ANBU nodded. "Exactly. It has nothing to do with you."

Naruto shrugged. "Fair enough." He walked away. He could always find out through another way.

* * *

He then walked into an argument between Team 8's Genin. Apparently, Kurenai left Team 8 behind. Naruto's eyes narrowed. First, that girl and her painting, then Kurenai leaving Team 8? It was too quick of a succession to be a coincidence...

When he looked around, Naruto found Kurenai on a roof, looking over the distance.

"Deep in thoughts?" Naruto asked as he stepped up next to her.

"Naruto?" She really must have been really deep in thought, for he wasn't trying to be sneaky and she was still surprised.

"I overheard your former Genin arguing amongst themselves, mainly because of Kiba wanting an explanation." He explained.

"I see..." She said. "There's nothing I can do about that. If you see them again, please tell them I'm not coming back."

"You should have been more subtle." He said, to Kurenai's confusion. "It has something to do with that brown-haired girl skilled in painting, isn't it?"

Her widened eyes were all the answers he needed.

"So you've met Yakumo?" She asked.

"So that's her name, Yakumo." Naruto said. "She wasn't very talkative. But I saw her painting skills with my own eyes, as well as the results." He looked at the Hokage Tower. "The way I see it, if you were somehow involved with this girl, then she must be skilled in Genjutsu. But if that lightning strike was real, how could it be a Genjutsu?"

Kurenai sighed. He had already figured out so much...

"Yakumo and I had a...past together. The Sandaime chose me to be Yakumo's tutor due to my skills in Genjutsu. Yakumo had her clan's, the Kurama Clan's, Kekkei Genkai, which is the ability to make their enemies feel whatever physical pain they feel within their Genjutsu." She explained.

"Meaning those who have that Kekkei Genkai could kill their enemies with Genjutsu alone." Naruto said with interest. He had planned to get the Sharingan from Sasuke or Itachi, maybe even Kakashi, one day, but if he could combine both of these Kekkei Genkai, it would truly be a deadly combination. He then realized something. "Wait, then that means that the damages on the Hokage Tower aren't really there, but we think they are."

Kurenai nodded before she sighed. "However, Yakumo was born with a weak body. She had very little stamina and couldn't hold a candle to anyone in Taijutsu. But she was inspired by Rock Lee's effort and wanted to prove that one could become a ninja with Genjutsu alone."

"But you don't have Guy-sensei's enthusiasm." Naruto deduced. That much was obvious not matter what angle you looked from.

Kurenai sighed sadly. "I couldn't do it. I told her to seek a new path in life, but she refused. We were forced to seal her powers."

"Fat lot of good that did." Naruto commented as he looked at the Hokage Tower.

"We didn't seal the entirety of it, just the part that was dangerous." Kurenai said.

"Oh yeah, because being able to make lightning strikes at will isn't dangerous at all." He said sarcastically.

"Her paintings are her focus for her Genjutsu." Kurenai explained. "She can't do them at will. Not quickly, anyway."

"Old man Sandaime wouldn't have approved unless it was a danger to the village." Naruto said.

"Those who have that Kekkei Genkai can't control all of their power, so a second, monstrous personality that has better control over the powers is created by the Kekkei Genkai."

"And that's what you sealed." Naruto realized. "But don't you think the anger of having her dream taken away would make the second personality stronger and break through the seal?"

"This is my problem." Kurenai said. "I shall deal with it myself."

Naruto shrugged. "I highly doubt that whoever is watching over her would let me get close, anyway. I'll just leave you be." He walked away.

* * *

Nothing of interest happened for the rest of the day. But the next day, he saw Guy, Team 8 and Sakura rushing somewhere and followed them while sticking to the shadows.

The group made it to a cottage in the mountain. But they were stopped by a beanstalk Genjutsu. Team 8's tracking expertise quickly dealt with the culprit, but they found out, through him, that Kurenai was inside with Yakumo. What Naruto saw that the others didn't, however, was that Kurenai snuck out of the cottage through a window with Yakumo on her back.

Kurenai tried to escape with Yakumo, only to be trapped in a beanstalk Genjutsu. When she tried to release it, she was unsuccessful. A man with light-brown hair and black eyes appeared before them.

Yakumo's eyes widened. "Uncle Unkai, father-figure of the Kurama Clan..."

Kurenai's red eyes narrowed. "Facing Unkai of the Kurama Clan won't go as smoothly as it did with the others." She said.

Unkai chuckled. "For me to be praised by the Genjutsu Mistress, Kurenai Yuhi... Let us try to avoid meaningless battles. Hand over Yakumo!"

Yakumo tightened her grip on Kurenai, who braced herself.

"Even you have fallen to my Genjutsu, Kurenai." Unkai said. "How do you plan on fighting me?"

Kurenai didn't say anything. She stabbed her own shoulder with her kunai, using the pain to free herself from the Genjutsu.

"Damn it!" Unkai exclaimed.

They then heard laughter.

"Using pain to free herself from the illusion. Truly she wishes to protect this girl."

"Who is there!? Show yourself!" Unkai demanded.

Kurenai was confused. This wasn't one of Unkai's followers?

"Very well." The ghostly figure of a pale-skinned man holding a crystal ball, wearing purple robes, a red cape and red hat revealed himself between Kurenai and Unkai. "I am the Dark Priest called Shaft."

"I do not know what you are here for, but you are in my way." Unkai threatened.

"You are in mine as well, as my lord desires the girl's powers." Shaft revealed.

Lightning struck Unkai from another one of Shaft's crystal orbs floating in the sky, rendering the man unconscious.

Shaft turned to Kurenai and Yakumo. "Now, hand over the girl." He calmly demanded.

Kurenai looked up before looking back toward Shaft after seeing nothing unusual in the sky.

"I am not so foolish as to think the same method of attack will work twice in a row." Shaft said. "But you do not look like you will give up on the girl. So be it." The crystal orb in his hand lit up into a large fireball and shot toward Kurenai, who dodged but recoiled at the explosion. Her fall caused Yakumo to let go of her.

"Yakumo!" Kurenai called out as she tried to run up to the girl, only for an orb crackling with lightning to get in her way and shock her.

Shaft floated toward Yakumo and lifted her in the air with magic.

"Spread this message to the rest of your village, if you so desire. One day, the Elemental Countries will fall to Dracula, Lord of Darkness!" Shaft laughed before he disappeared with Yakumo.

"Yakumo!" Kurenai cried out. She had failed! Failed to protect her student!

Naruto looked at the battle from atop the trees with a smirk. He sent a Kage Bunshin to the castle, after Kurenai snuck out of the cottage, and had it order Shaft to capture Yakumo. Now, it was time to talk to the girl.

* * *

"Where are you taking me!?" Yakumo demanded as she was restrained by Axe Lords.

"I wish to make you an offer, Yakumo Kurama." Yakumo turned her head to the direction of the voice and saw a cloaked man wearing a scary mask.

"An offer?" She asked nervously.

"Before that, however, I will show you something." Dracula said as the Axe Lords took her to the torture chambers.

Yakumo's eyes widened as she saw someone restrained by chains. It was the Sandaime Hokage!

"Wake him up." Dracula ordered the cloaked Shinigami.

Shinigami stepped up to the old man and tapped his shoulder, undoing the magic.

Hiruzen groaned. "Is this the Shinigami's stomach?" He wondered as he looked around. His eyes widened when he saw Yakumo. "Can it be?"

Yakumo turned to Dracula. "But the Sandaime is supposed to be dead!"

"He is dead." Dracula said calmly. "After all, the one standing next to him is the Shinigami."

Hiruzen and Yakumo's eyes widened at they looked at the cloaked skeleton wielding a scythe.

"Now, you have questions to ask the Sandaime, I believe." Dracula said. "I shall let you ask them, for I am also curious about the truth."

This was a chance Yakumo couldn't waste, no matter how much this place unnerved her.

"Why have you assassinated my parents!?" Yakumo demanded. This was news to Dracula.

Hiruzen's eyes widened. "Assassinate your parents? I have done no such thing."

"My parents were Jonin! There is no way they could have died in that fire!" She yelled.

The Sandaime stayed silent.

"Force the truth out of him." Dracula ordered.

Shinigami placed a hand on Hiruzen's shoulder and the old man could feel the loss of what little control he had over his body.

"I have not ordered your parents to be assassinated. Your uncontrolled Genjutsu powers burned your home and killed them in your depression."

Yakumo's eyes widened.

"I then found out about your second personality, the Ido, through Unkai. After that, I ordered Kurenai to seal your powers in an attempt to destroy the Ido. I had her do it in order for her to be the entire focus of your anger. I know for a fact she hated doing so and regretted it ever since."

Yakumo screamed as she held her head. A ghastly figure exited through her mouth before taking a physical shape similar to Yakumo's.

It was dark green in skin tone, had large horns sticking out of the sides of its head and had saber teeth, like Cham.

"**Sandaime Hokage..."** It said.

"Ido..." Hiruzen muttered as it walked closer to him.

"**Feel the brunt of these feelings and let me get my revenge!"**

Dracula stood between Hiruzen and the Ido.

"So, you are the one created by Yakumo's power. Her anger and hatred made you powerful, indeed. Your powers would be valuable as my servant." He said.

"**I care not about you! All that matters is my revenge!"**

Dracula smirked behind his mask. "That makes things easier for me, then."

Ido charged, only for axes to embed themselves on its back. It wailed in pain before being decapitated by Muramasa. An orb shot out of the corpse and entered Dracula.

"Now, the Kurama Clan's illusionary prowess is mine." Dracula chuckled.

Hiruzen's eyes widened. "That katana...!"

Dracula turned to Hiruzen and took off his mask. "How's it going, old man?"

"Naruto..." Hiruzen muttered.

"How does it feel? To see someone you cared like family being a monster in reality?" Dracula asked. "Oh... That's right. Orochimaru already gave you this feeling, didn't he?"

"Why are you doing this?" Hiruzen asked sadly. "Yakumo's power will overwhelm you, just like it did to her!"

Dracula chuckled once more. "Oh, if only you knew how much power I have. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Now, I have Yakumo's powerful Genjutsu abilities, but what would happen if I were to gain the Sharingan as well?"

Hiruzen's eyes widened in horror. If he could use them both at the same time, then-

Dracula laughed. "You figured it out! Unfortunately, Sasuke went to Orochimaru, so he's out of my reach for now. So is Itachi. But I will get one of them eventually. I am not so sure about Kakashi, however, as his Sharingan is transplanted. But I have said enough. I have nothing more to say to you, old man. Have a nightmarish time in Shinigami's stomach."

Before Hiruzen could say anything, Shinigami had already absorbed him.

Dracula turned to a shaking Yakumo. "Take her to the Were Beasts. Whether they eat her or turn her into one of their own matters little to me. I have to return to that foolish village."

Yakumo screamed in terror as she struggled to get free.

When Naruto returned to the village, there was no panic at all, meaning the news hadn't spread. He did learn that Kurenai was highly depressed and wouldn't be going back to Team 8. She was replaced by her best friend, Anko Mitarashi.

* * *

A few days later, Shikamaru gathered Naruto, Ino, Choji, Kiba and Lee for a new mission of great importance: assisting the Sand Siblings in Kawa no Kuni.

"During Sasuke's defection, we were saved by the Sand Siblings." Shikamaru said. "This mission is our opportunity to return the favor. Here's the plan: we will make multiple teams of two. Do not act independently of each other. I will be teaming up with Ino. Choji and Kiba, you're the second team. That leaves Lee with Naruto. Shino, Hinata, Neji and Sakura have already gone ahead through a different route, so let's hurry."

"Right!" The rest of the group said together.

The group rushed east toward Kawa no Kuni. But they eventually stopped and went on standby, waiting for the others to report their recon.

* * *

Eventually, Shino's bugs came to them, thanks to a small pouch, that had the scent of a female Kikaichu, that Shino gave to Sikamaru for the mission.

The Bugs worked together to make kanji in the sky for their report.

Shikamaru cursed. "So it's already started... Kiba, Choji! Take the western forest. Ino and I will take the northern hill. Naruto, Lee, you two will take the northwestern forest. We'll back up each sibling with our team. It's time to begin 'Operation Return the Favor'. Scatter!" With that, each team went on their way.

Naruto and Lee rushed in the northwestern and eventually found Gaara, high up on a sand pillar, swinging his opponent like a flail with his sand before the sand let go and his opponent went flying.

Suddenly, three beams of chakra hit the sand pillar before a large water dragon attacked Gaara. Gaara fell to the ground, his sand soaked.

Gaara's opponent was a broadly-built man with black eyes and wavy brown hair. He wore a black coat with dark blue pauldrons and a breastplate shaped like a tiger's head. He also wielded a long-hilted mace with a head that could be swung around thanks to a chain.

"Your luck ends here, Sabaku no Gaara!" The man said as he swung his mace's head at Gaara, only for Lee to kick it away.

"A hero's arrival is always fashionably late!" Lee said passionately.

The man's shock at Lee's arrival made him lower his guard, allowing Naruto to kick him on the back of the head.

"Naruto?" Gaara asked.

"This is to repay the debt we owe Suna through the Sasuke Retrieval Mission." Naruto said. "Leave this guy to us."

"Be careful. His armor absorbs chakra." Gaara said as he tried to get up, but stumbled. That water dragon really hit him hard. Not to mention his Sand Armor is even heavier, due to being soaked.

Luckily, Sakura arrived on the scene. She started healing Gaara's bruises. His sand was drying in the meantime.

"I shall start!" Lee said as he charged toward the armored man.

When he kicked the man in the gut, the armor absorbed the chakra after Lee's kick landed on it.

Naruto and Lee then tried to combine their Taijutsu and Kenjutsu assaults, but the armored man tried to taunt them by staying on the evasive.

Suddenly, Shino's bugs gave a message that Ino was hurt. Even though Gaara wasn't completely healed, he convinced Sakura to go help her out.

As Gaara walked up to the battle, Lee was hit by the enemy's mace.

"That's enough." Gaara said. "I'll finish this quickly."

The large man chuckled. "You don't have anymore sand to use-"

He was interrupted by Gaara sacrificing his Sand Armor to make a spear. He threw the spear and it pierced the enemy's heart.

"Gaara-sensei!" Gaara's kidnapped student, Matsuri, called out.

Naruto made a Kage Bunshin that would remain with the exhausted Lee and, along with Gaara, rushed toward the last opponent, the one holding Matsuri hostage. They cornered him in a valley. The man had a slim face and brown hair swept to the back.

"That's as far as you go." Gaara claimed. "I'm taking Matsuri back."

The man smirked. "Do you think you have me cornered? Even with your ally, you are the one cornered, Sabaku no Gaara! Even if you are called 'The Ultimate Weapon', didn't you use all of your sand back there?"

"I wouldn't lose in a one-on-one battle, no matter what kind of techniques you use, let alone a two-on-one battle." Gaara said.

"We shall see." He threw Matsuri aside and held out a black longsword. "Come forth, Mugen Kougai!" Their previous opponent's tiger breastplate appeared on his chest. "Garian Tou! Hisho Soken!" A three-bladed whip-sword appeared and its blade waved around him like tentacles. A short sword then appeared in his left hand.

The duo braced themselves.

"It's time for you to learn that mere ninja cannot defeat the weapons that those from the Takumi village create." The man boasted before he swung the short sword, creating a tornado.

Naruto immediately stepped forward and let out a Kyuubi-enhanced roar, creating wind vibrations. Both winds collided and cancelled each other.

"Garian tou!" The man called out. The three serpent blades attacked. Naruto deflected one with Muramasa, but the other two reached Gaara, who dodged one but was stabbed in the shoulder by the other one. All three blades retracted. "Seems like your main reserve of chakra has depleted. Surely the monster within you can be of assistance."

"_So, he's after the Shukaku's chakra."_ Naruto thought. _"Is he a member of Akatsuki? Or does he need the chakra for something else?"_

"Garian Tou!" All three blades attacked Naruto, who dodged as he couldn't block them all.

The moment he and Naruto were separated, Gaara was trapped in a metal sphere.

"Gaara!" Naruto and Matsuri called out.

"The preparations are complete. What we want is the Shukaku's chakra." The man said.

"What?" Gaara asked.

"I, Hoki, have waited a long time for this moment." Hoki said. "Now, Gaara, you shall become Shukaku and give that power to me!"

Naruto cursed as he rushed to free Matsuri from her wooden casing.

Gaara immediately threw something through the sphere's bars before they closed. It was Matsuri's Rope Javelin. When the freed Matsuri picked it up, sand fell out of it and became a sand eye for Gaara to see the outside.

"It's useless!" Hoki said. "The Ultimate Weapon that our ancestor, Seimei-sama, created will be complete!" He then made some handsigns and the sphere started draining Gaara's chakra.

The chakra shot toward a piece of the mountain and blew it off, revealing a coffin. The coffin floated and landed in front of Hoki. The coffin opened and revealed a corpse.

"Seimei-sama!" Hoki said. "I offer my body as a container for your great revival!"

The corpse started glowing before Hoki's body dissolved into particles that joined with the corpse.

The corpse was revitalized and rejuvenated. A man with long white hair walked out of the coffin.

"I am Seimei, founder of Takumi village." Seimei introduced himself. "After a century, I have returned to become the village's Ultimate Weapon!" He then made some handsigns before walking toward Hoki's now-glowing equipment. After a flash of light, Naruto saw that Seimei had merged with the equipment.

"My plan is finally coming to fruition." Seimei claimed. "With this, the Takumi village will stand at the top of the shinobi world."

Seimei then turned to the sphere. "So that's how they did it. They used the power of Suna's monster as a source for my revival."

Naruto inwardly cursed. Seimei's merging with the weapons obviously meant he was even better than Hoki at using them. What the hell was he supposed to do?

Seimei faced the sphere. "Now, Shukaku, give me your power!"

The sphere started transferring chakra to Seimei.

Suddenly, Gaara let out a roar as the sphere broke apart, revealing Gaara's half transformed state.

"So, this is Shukaku?" Seimei asked. "This is my first time seeing the real thing."

Everyone else arrived on the scene. They were worried when they saw Gaara's condition.

"Fighting Shukaku wasn't in my calculations." Seimei admitted. "But, this is in my favor. Defeating Shukaku will prove that Takumi village's Ultimate Weapon is unbeatable."

However, Gaara wasn't wavering. Naruto's speech after their first battle echoed in his head. He wouldn't give in! He would protect those important to him with his own strength!

To everyone's shock, the Shukaku transformation was suppressed.

"Is he suppressing Shukaku?" Temari wondered.

"Why is he doing that?" Shikamaru asked. "He's only weakening his attack power."

"He wishes to fight with his own power, not one he can't control." Kankuro said.

Seimei chuckled. "You couldn't maintain the form?"

"I do not need that power to protect what's important to me." Gaara claimed.

"Pathetic." Seimei said. "Shinobi have no need for emotions. Those that kill their emotions become more powerful. And that power is the only justice. You do not even have the chakra to fight."

"I _am_ almost out of chakra." Gaara admitted. "But I wasn't just twiddling my thumbs while in that cage."

"What?" Seimei asked.

Gaara slammed his hands together. "Ryusa Bakuryu!"

Nothing happened for a moment before Seimei chuckled.

"You don't have any more sand to control." He said.

"I am Sabaku no Gaara! Breaking stones and turning minerals into sand is in my nature!" Gaara said.

The mountain behind Seimei started to crumble. A wave of sand crashed on Seimei. Everyone else jumped in the air to avoid getting buried.

There was a moment of silence before...

"Kujaku Senpu Sen!" Seimei called out as he rose from the sand with a whirlwind. "So you still had some power left. I'll take all that power, then!"

The Infinite armor started draining Gaara's chakra, but Gaara looked completely calm.

"Saiko Zettai Hogeki, Shukaku no Hoko!" Gaara called out as he made a sand spear with its head shaped like Shukaku's claw.

He threw the spear right into the armor's open maw, destroying the breastplate.

"H-How!?" Seimei demanded.

"Someone like you, who sees people as weapons, wouldn't understand."

Seimei then fell on the ground and was swallowed by sand.

Gaara slammed his hands on the sand. "Sabaku Taiso!"

There was a small quake before particles floated out of the sand.

"It's over." Naruto said.

Gaara then fell on the ground. Everyone rushed toward him.

Sakura checked his pulse and sighed in relief. "He's fine." She said, causing everyone to relax.

Everyone then went back to Konoha, including the Sand Siblings, to recover.

* * *

"So, you're finally back." Naruto, in his hospital bed, said as he opened his eyes and looked at Jiraiya.

"Sorry my information gathering on Akatsuki took so long." Jiraiya said.

Naruto shrugged as he sat up. "I did a lot of important missions while you were away."

"So I heard. Good job. Anyways, I found out Akatsuki's motive. You'll have a lot of training to do during their two-year absence. I wonder if you're ready..."

"If you really are wondering, then you don't know me enough." Naruto smirked.

Gaara, who was on the next bed and hidden behind a curtain, heard everything.

* * *

Later, Dracula returned to the castle.

"It's time for the plan to begin." He said.

He, Shinigami and a Persephone maid entered the Doppelganger Mirror Room. He handed Muramasa, Tsunade's necklace and his headband to the maid before stepping up to the mirror. After a moment, his reflection, already knowing everything he knew, smirked and stepped out of the mirror.

"Have fun." Dracula said.

"I plan to." The Doppelganger said as he took Muramasa, the necklace and the headband before leaving.

"Now, all that's left is for me to catch Akatsuki's attention." Dracula said as he put the hooded cloak and mask on. "Thankfully, there is no shortage of bounties in this world."

* * *

Naruto and Jiraiya stepped out of the village gate, leaving for their training trip.

"_This is bound to be an interesting two years."_ Jiraiya thought.

Naruto, however, was eager for the original's plan to continue.

* * *

**This chapter's a little later than usual, but better late than never, right? Anyway, next time, we start Shippuden, where things change up a bit.**


	10. Chapter 10: Two years later

** : I'm pretty sure that even if Kyuubi became twice as powerful as Canon, even after having his two halves reunited, he wouldn't hold a candle to the Juubi.**

**madmanmark666: My fanfic is _that_ good to you? Wow, thanks. But you're giving me too much credit. As Harry Aizen showed, my knowledge of the Harry-verse is very limited, so is my knowledge of the Bleach-verse.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 10:** **Two years later**

Jiraiya and Naruto were walking through a forest, headed for Konoha now that their training trip was over.

While Jiraiya was mostly unchanged, Naruto grew up to Jiraiya's neck and his hair lengthened with two bangs framing his face. All in all, he looked like a whiskered Yondaime. The cloth of his headband was changed to a longer, black headband.

But Jiraiya was worried about something else. He found out through his spy network that Akatsuki recruited a new member very recently. A Nuke-nin, though what village he hailed from was unknown, with a fearsome reputation. And if one specific detail about him was legitimate... Jiraiya felt dread simply thinking about it.

"Hey, is that...?" Kotetsu asked as he saw Naruto and Jiraiya walk through the gate.

"Yeah! No mistake about that!" Izumo answered.

"To be back after two and a half years..." Naruto said. "Hope you don't mind if I take in the sights."

Jiraiya chuckled. "Go right ahead."

Naruto dropped his backpack and ran up a pole that stood higher than the buildings. As he looked to the distance, he took in the view of the village. It was a sight to behold. That much was true, no matter what his opinion about it was. In fact, he could see that, in his absence, Konoha added Tsunade's face to the Hokage Monument.

"Naruto?" He heard a female voice call out to him. He looked down and saw Sakura, Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi. "When did you get back?"

"Just now!" Naruto said as he jumped down and stood in front of Sakura. "Long time no see."

She also grew taller, unsurprisingly, and had a new attire. She now donned a red top along with black shorts, underneath a short grey apron skirt. She also wore black gloves, grey elbow protectors and black, low-heel, calf-high boots. She now had a red headband that she wore in the same fashion as before.

Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi also grew up. Konohamaru's outfit was mostly the same, with the exception of a green jacket. Moegi wore a sleeveless purple vest over a violet t-shirt, layered skirt and mid-thigh boots. Udon wore a black vest and blue pants. All three of them had a headband.

"Hey, Naruto-niichan!" Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi greeted at the same time.

"Nice to see you three as well." Naruto smiled. "I see you all graduated."

The trio held their headbands proudly.

The group did small talk as Naruto and Jiraiya headed for the Hokage Tower.

* * *

"It's been a while, you two." Tsunade greeted. "I hope the training worked out well."

"You think we'd come back if it hadn't?" Jiraiya asked.

"I think she doubts your teaching skills when we travel to places that have hot springs." Naruto smirked.

Jiraiya mock-glared at Naruto while Tsunade, Shizune and Sakura held their giggles.

"At any rate, I will see the results for myself." Tsunade said.

"A test, then?" Naruto asked.

Tsunade nodded. "You will be facing against a certain man. I've kept him off missions for that purpose."

Just as she was about to announce his opponent, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Tsunade said.

The door opened and Shikamaru and Temari walked in. While Shikamaru was mostly unchanged, other than growing up, Temari had a new attire. She wore a short-sleeved black kimono that reached down to her legs, with a slit on the side for leg movement. She wore fingerless gloves and had her headband on her forehead, instead of around her neck.

"Hey." Shikamaru greeted, not noticing Naruto.

Naruto looked at Tsunade with a raised eyebrow, but the Godaime shook her head.

"Ah, Shikamaru, Temari-san, look who just returned!" Sakura said as she pointed at Naruto.

Shikamaru smiled. "Hey, it's actually you, Naruto!" He said.

"How's it going, Shikamaru? Temari-san?" Naruto greeted.

"This is quite the reunion." A familiar voice said from outside the window.

"_He's_ your opponent, Naruto." Tsunade said, making Naruto look out the window to look at Kakashi.

When the Jonin turned to Naruto, it took most of his will to not look shocked at how much he looked like his father. He then eye-smiled. "Yo, Naruto."

"You haven't changed a bit." Naruto said, amused. "Speaking of which, I got something for you." He jumped out of the window and stood on the roof.

Tsunade and Sakura looked at the scene with a wave of nostalgia.

"What!?" Kakashi said, looking shocked at the gift Naruto was giving him.

The newest edition of the Icha Icha Series in three years!

"It hasn't been released yet." Naruto said. "While it _has_ given me ideas for later on in my life, I think you'll enjoy it more than me."

Kakashi held the book like it was the greatest treasure in the world, which amused Naruto to no end.

"Shall we get started with the test, then?" Tsunade asked.

Kakashi sighed in disappointment. "All right, then. Naruto, Sakura, meet me at Training Ground 7!"

Sakura looked shocked. "Me too?"

Tsunade nodded. "He is the best one to judge you two."

"Well, since Naruto just arrived, he should have a little break." Kakashi said.

"You just want some time to read your book." Naruto said.

Kakashi didn't say anything and left with the Shunshin.

* * *

**Training Ground 7**

Naruto and Sakura were waiting for Kakashi to arrive. He truly hadn't changed one bit... Naruto wondered what made him think otherwise.

When Kakashi arrived and tried to explain himself, Sakura called out on his lie.

"This place takes me back." Naruto said as he looked around the place Team 7 became a real team and where he fought Mizuki for a second time.

"Oh yeah, this was the first place the three of you trained in right?" Kakashi asked, as if he had forgotten.

"Team 7..." Sakura said nostalgically.

"Back then, we had Sasuke." Kakashi said in remembrance.

As Sakura began reminiscing, she grew depressed.

Kakashi sweat-dropped. "I guess Sasuke's name is taboo in front of her."

A familiar sound caught Naruto and Sakura's attention. They turned to Kakashi and saw him holding two familiar bells.

"Well, let me see your progress." He said. "You're not giving up on Sasuke, are you?"

"Of course not!" Sakura said as she got up and tightened her gloves.

"We'll drag him on his ass, if we have to." Naruto said.

"The rules haven't changed since last time." Kakashi said as he attached the bells to his belt. "Come at me with everything you've got. If you don't-"

"-Attack with the intent to kill..." Naruto interrupted.

"...You won't even land a scratch." Sakura finished.

Kakashi chuckled. "That's right! You have until dawn to get them." He closed his new favorite book. "Well then, shall we get started?"

"Not reading, this time?" Naruto asked.

"I'll keep the suspense for a quieter atmosphere." He said as he pocketed the book. "Besides, I feel I'll be cornered if I don't take you seriously from the start." He then uncovered his Sharingan.

Just outside of the open field, Jiraiya, Tsunade and Shizune were observing the incoming battle.

Naruto threw some shuriken at Kakashi, who ducked before also throwing shuriken at Naruto. The blond jumped in air to dodge. Kakashi threw some more shuriken at Naruto, who used a Kage Bunshin to pull himself away from the shuriken's path. When they landed, the bunshin turned into a large shuriken. Just as Naruto was about to throw it, Kakashi grabbed his wrist, stopping the momentum.

"Not bad." Kakashi said as a Kage Bunshin appeared behind him and had Muramasa at his neck.

* * *

"Not bad indeed." Tsunade commented.

"He rarely uses Kage Bunshin for combat purposes." Jiraiya explained. "I just gave him a few pointers."

* * *

Naruto used his free hand to unsheathe his own Muramasa and swiped at Kakashi, who went off in smoke. Kage Bunshin...

"Should have seen this coming." Naruto said as his own Bunshin dispelled.

Sakura looked all around. Kakashi wasn't in any visible direction, which meant...

She immediately punched the ground, breaking it in pieces, to Naruto, Kakashi and Jiraiya's shock.

"What monstrous strength..." Kakashi commented. "Looks like the Godaime didn't just teach Sakura medical ninjutsu..."

"Found you, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura said with a sickly-sweet tone.

"So you did." Kakashi said. "I guess it's my turn now."

Naruto and Sakura dispersed, hiding away to attack Kakashi by surprise.

Kakashi ran around the forest, looking for the duo. It was nighttime.

"_A shinobi must hide without a trace." _Kakashi thought. He knew Sakura was in some bushes behind him, but he couldn't find Naruto anywhere. _"Both of them have progressed a lot in that regard."_

Kakashi's eyes widened as he jumped in the air to dodge a series of kunai. Naruto jumped out of his hiding spot and charged at Kakashi, who met him midway and clashed weapons. Muramasa cut through Kakashi's kunai, but the Jonin twisted his body to avoid the blade and jumped away from the blond.

Sakura immediately stood next to Naruto.

"I guess I have to teach something to the two of you." Kakashi said. "Shinobi tactics number 1: Taijutsu!"

He immediately charged toward Naruto, who dodged his strikes before smirking.

Kakashi was confused for a moment before his eyes' widened and he crossed his arms to block a kick, the force of it knocking him back. "W-What!?"

"Jiraiya made me discard the weights." Naruto said as he charged and started trading blows with Kakashi.

Sakura jumped in the air and aimed for Kakashi with a kick. Naruto turned into smoke, revealing to be a Kage Bunshin, just as Kakashi dodged the Sakura's kick, leaving the damage to the ground itself.

Kakashi was slightly panting as he stood before Sakura and Naruto, who just appeared next to Sakura. "I really had it easy, back then." He commented. "They've been apart for a while, but they still work together quite well."

* * *

"Interesting, isn't it?" Jiraiya asked.

"Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan are doing great!" Shizune said enthusiastically.

"You saved Naruto some precious seconds." Tsunade told Jiraiya.

"Couldn't even lift the damn coat anyway..." The Gama Sennin grumbled.

"Is someone jealous?" Tsunade asked, amused.

Jiraiya looked at the Godaime incredulously. "Me, jealous? Not at all!"

* * *

"N-Naruto... Sakura..." The duo looked behind them and saw an injured Sasuke, who didn't look any different. It was an obvious Genjutsu that they both cancelled.

"Shinobi tactics number 2: Genjutsu." Kakashi said as his students turned back toward him. "You fainted so easily back then, Sakura."

Sakura had a look of pride. "You aren't creative anymore, Kakashi-sensei! I wouldn't fall for the same thing twice!"

"_I would hope so."_ Naruto sweatdropped. _"You would be so pathetic if you fell for it now, since Sasuke definitely won't look the same after three years."_

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Kakashi admitted. "I can't use the same old methods anymore." He said as he ran away.

Naruto and Sakura quickly gave chase. When they caught up to him, he was standing in front the river.

"Shinobi tactics number 3: Ninjutsu." Kakashi said as he made a large amount handsigns in a handful of seconds, to the duo's shock. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" He called out as he breathed out a large fireball, which the duo dodged before they could get burned.

When Naruto landed on the ground, he felt a hand grab his ankle.

"Doton: Shinjuu zanshu no Jutsu!" Before Naruto could stab the ground, Kakashi buried him from the neck down.

Kakashi jumped out of the ground and turned to Naruto. However, he was immediately restrained by chains.

Kakashi inwardly cursed. Naruto had used his buried state to not show any signs of using the chains. Just as Sakura was about to punch him, however, he used Kawarimi to escape.

"Sakura! He's on the river!" Naruto yelled out before he dispelled. Another Kage Bunshin.

Kakashi made his handsigns. "Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu!" The water from the river rose and formed a dragon.

Naruto landed in between Sakura and the dragon and made his own handsigns. "Fuuton: Daitoppa!" He called out as he released a large gust of wind that collided with the dragon.

The blast made the water splash into a massive wave, which trashed a large part of the training ground.

Kakashi panted as he looked around. He couldn't see Naruto or Sakura anywhere.

* * *

Naruto sighed. "God dammit..."

"Don't worry, Naruto. We'll get the bells!" Sakura encouraged.

"That's not the problem." Naruto said. "I just would've wanted to defeat him in a more legitimate way."

Sakura was confused before Naruto whispered something in her ear. Her face lit up. "It's perfect!"

"I thought of it when he showed us the bells, but it won't be as satisfying a victory."

* * *

"_I'm amazed I had to use the Sharingan this much."_ Kakashi thought as he leaned against a tree. _"But, there's still time before dawn..."_ He then looked through his pouch and checked his inventory. Good, he still had some shuriken and kunai. His hand then landed on his new book. The temptation was great. _"No, can't read it yet. I can't focus on them and the story at the same time... But the main character seems to have a secret..."_

Naruto and Sakura landed in front of him, making him tense.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto called out. "Did you the main character of Icha Icha Tactics as a big secret?"

Kakashi's eyes widened and he covered his ears. "What!? Don't spoil the story!"

Naruto smirked. "Oh, but there's plenty to spoil!"

Kakashi realized that he could read Naruto's lips! He closed both eyes and waited.

He then received a small tap on his shoulder. He opened his eyes...and saw Naruto and Sakura holding the bells.

Kakashi patted his belt. He had been tricked!

"So predictable." Naruto said. "I thought of this plan when you showed us the bells."

Kakashi facepalmed. "You got me..." He said, causing the three of them to laugh.

"You've shown growth, both of you." Tsunade said as she and Shizune approached the trio.

"Shishou!" Sakura greeted.

"Got anything to add, Kakashi?" Tsunade asked.

"Well, since they did so great at getting the bells..." Kakashi trailed off, making Tsunade nod.

"Naruto Uzumaki!" Tsunade called out.

"Ma'am!"

"Sakura Haruno!"

"Yes!"

"You both and Kakashi Hatake will be Team Kakashi, effective immediately!" Tsunade announced.

"Team Kakashi?" Sakura asked.

"That's right." Kakashi said. "From now on, the three of us will be doing missions together. We're not student and teacher anymore, we're teammates."

* * *

The next morning, Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi went to the Hokage Tower to receive their first mission.

However, a woman entered the room in a hurry. "Godaime-sama! We have an emergency!"

"What's the fuss about?" Tsunade asked.

"We just received a Priority One message from Suna! I have the decoded message right here." The woman said, handing Tsunade a sheet of paper.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she read the message. "Suna's Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara, has apprehended by Akatsuki."

Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi were shocked.

"We have a lot of information on Akatsuki." Tsunade said. "We've also received a call of aid from Suna."

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune objected. "You're not going to send Team Kakashi, are you!?"

"It's an emergency." Tsunade said. "We have to hurry. Kakashi also has experience against Akatsuki. Team Kakashi! You are to head for Sunagakure and follow their instructions to provide assistance!"

"Ma'am!" The team saluted. They quickly made their preparations and headed for Kaze no Kuni.

* * *

On the way, they met up with Temari, who was on her way back to Suna. She was mortified when they told her Gaara had been abducted and immediately started rushing to Kaze no Kuni, causing the team to follow her.

After almost three days, they finally reached Sunagakure. The Shinobi guarding the entrance guided them to the hospital and told them that Kankuro had been poisoned, to Temari's horror.

* * *

"Kankuro!" Temari cried out as she entered the Emergency Room Kankuro was in. Sakura quickly followed her to to try and heal Kankuro.

An old woman turned to the entrance and her eyes widened as she saw Kakashi.

"Prepare yourself, White Fang of Konoha!" She said as she charged with fitness that was surprising for a woman even older than Hiruzen.

She was immediately stopped by a blade at her neck.

"Forgive me, Old One, but now is not the time for conflicts between allies." Naruto said.

"Do not stand in my way, boy!" The old hag said as she jumped back. "I will kill the White Fang and avenge my son!"

A man who looked just as old stood before her. "Look more closely, Nee-chan. This is not the White Fang. The White Fang died ages ago."

There was a moment of silence.

"I know!" The old woman said jovially. "I was just playing dumb!" She then laughed awkwardly.

No one was convinced.

Kankuro then started screaming in pain.

"I'll take care of him!" Sakura claimed as she immediately started examining him.

"A vile poison has been used on him." She said after some examination. "It's the type that operates in the muscles and destroys the cells. The medical records?"

"Here." One of the doctors handed her the sheet before giving her another piece of paper. "And this is the composition of the poison."

Sakura read through the records. "The heart's muscles are being destroyed...it wouldn't be strange if the heart stopped anytime soon." She then immediately told the doctors to gather the ingredients she listed off.

She then, by focusing her chakra through some liquid, managed to extract the poison out of Kankuro's organs.

* * *

"The White Fang: Sakumo Hatake. Your Father?" Naruto asked Kakashi while Sakura performed the operation. He had read up on all three Great Shinobi Wars.

"Yes." Kakashi answered, to the old woman's shock.

* * *

"I've extracted most of the poison." Sakura said as she finished operating on Kankuro. "I don't think there will be any need to fear for his life now."

Everyone member of Suna, especially Baki and Temari, sighed in relief.

"I will now mix an antidote that will counter whatever is left of the poison inside his body."

"You're almost like that slug girl." The old woman said. "To think a girl like you would come just as we needed one."

"Ah, that's because I am Tsunade's apprentice!" Sakura answered.

"Baki-sama!" A shinobi of Suna entered the room with a scroll. "This is a reply from Konoha."

Baki took the scroll and read through it before handing it to Kakashi. "It's from Hokage-sama."

Kakashi took the scroll and read it. "So, she sent Team Guy as reinforcements..."

"When should we give chase to Akatsuki?" Naruto asked.

"As much as I like the idea, how would we pursue them?" Kakashi asked back.

"You'll have to ask Kankuro, as he is the only one of those to pursue Akatsuki to make it back alive." Baki answered.

"Kankuro! Are you all right?" Temari asked. Everyone turned to Kankuro, who was waking up.

"T-Temari..." Kankuro muttered.

"Kankuro is in no condition to answer questions." Kakashi said as he turned to Baki. "Lead us to where Kankuro fought Akatsuki. I myself am an expert in pursuit. All I need is some scent."

"No need." Kankuro said as he tried to sit up. "All my puppets have been retrieved, right? Karasu has a piece of cloth in one of his left hands."

"Making progress through a loss..." Kakashi said as he received a piece of black cloth. "Sounds like a Suna shinobi, all right."

Kankuro chuckled before he winced in pain.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Kakashi called out as he summoned his eight dogs.

"Yo." Pakkun greeted.

"I need your help." Kakashi said as he made the dogs smell the scent of the cloth. "Find the one with this scent."

"We'll contact you when we've found them!" Pakkun said as the dogs scattered.

"Kankuro." The old woman said as she and her brother walked up to him.

"Chiyo-baasama and Ebizo-jisama?" Kankuro asked.

"I want to hear it straight from you." Chiyo said. "Are you sure you've met Sasori?"

"There's no doubt." Kankuro said. "He read through Karasu, Kuroari and Sanshuo's moves perfectly before claiming he made them himself."

Eventually, Sakura managed to create an antidote for Kankuro. Team Kakashi were then given rooms to rest for the night.

* * *

The next morning reported his finding. They were in a cave in Kawa no Kuni.

"Well then, as soon as the Suna shinobi have prepared themselves, we'll go with them to retrieve Gaara." Kakashi explained.

Temari walked up to the team with her own squad, including Matsuri. "Sorry to keep you waiting." She apologized.

"We've all gathered now." Kakashi said.

"Wait!" Baki said as he landed between the teams. "Temari. You guys are assigned to stay in the village and guard the national border."

"What's the meaning of this!?" Temari growled.

"These are orders from the higher-ups." Baki explained. "Other countries may attack at any time if the absence of Kazekage-sama becomes publicly known."

"All the more reason to hurry and get Gaara back!" Temari argued. "If no one from Suna goes, what should we do!?"

"I'll go." They heard Chiyo's voice as she walked up to the group. "The only Suna shinobi who needs to go is me."

"Chiyo-baasama?" Temari asked.

"As I'm long since retired, I decide where I go and what I do. It's been a while, so I want to see my grandson and give him a painful hug." Chiyo said.

"I guess that's settled, then." Kakashi said. "We're heading out."

The quartet quickly ran out of the village and headed to Kawa no Kuni.

* * *

"Naruto." Sakura called out on the way. "Can I ask you something? How long have you been targeted by Akatsuki?"

"Akatsuki has been after Kyuubi since my mission to bring Godaime-sama back to the village. So three years, at the very least." Naruto answered.

Chiyo was shocked that Naruto mentioned the Kyuubi.

"Why didn't they target you during your training trip?"

"There were many opportunities where they could have." Naruto said.

"So it's more that they _couldn't _take action rather than they _didn't_." Kakashi said.

"There is a specific reason." Chiyo started. "If my information is correct, Akatsuki needed the proper preparations to extract a Bijuu from a human vessel."

"In other words, they needed time and resources." Naruto summarized.

"Precisely."

"Bijuu?" Sakura asked.

"Shukaku and Kyuubi, for starters." Naruto said immediately. "Shukaku would be the 'Ichibi', which means there are others, from the Nibi to the Hachibi."

"That is correct." Chiyo said. "I'm surprised you didn't know this, being Tsunade's apprentice. The Bijuu are beasts made entirely of chakra. Each country's Hidden Village attempted to use them for military purposes. However, no one can control a power beyond human comprehension."

Naruto's lips twitched upward for a split second. What was beyond a human's comprehension was not beyond a monster's.

Sakura looked at the blond worriedly.

By sunset, the team set up camp to rest. They couldn't attack Akatsuki unless they were at full strength. They went on their way in the middle of the night.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

"Here's the Ichibi Jinchuuriki, hmph." A blond male with a scratched Iwa headband said as his clay bird dropped Gaara.

"Deidara took his sweet time." His hunchback partner growled.

"Whatever time Deidara wasted is about to be recuperated." A hologram with ripple-patterned eyes said before turning to the last figure that really was in the cave. "If you can indeed take a Bijuu by killing the Jinchuuriki, you will save us precious days, Souma Kurusu."

"Hiruko spliced multiple Kekkei Genkai into his body and I still acquired them when I killed him." The hooded and masked Souma said. "Since a Bijuu and its Jinchuuriki are joined by the chakra for much longer than that, the chances of success are even greater."

"Then do it." The hologram ordered.

Souma approached Gaara and snapped his neck. Two orbs shot out of Gaara and into Souma.

"Perfect." Souma said as he pulled out one of the orbs. "This is the Ichibi. The other was the Kazekage's soul."

"This positive result brings us closer to our goal than we would have been had we extracted the Ichibi our usual way." The hologram said. "Now, place the Ichibi in the Gedo Mazo and you will become an official member of Akatsuki."

Souma turned to the Statue by the far wall of the cave. You could only see its face, upper torso and hands. It had nine eyes, two of which had pupils. Souma threw the orb in the statue's mouth, which started glowing with chakra. A third eye gained a pupil once the orb disappeared.

* * *

**The next day, Team Kakashi**

When the quartet arrived at the cave, Team Guy was already there.

Lee was mostly unchanged, other than growing taller and wearing a Flak Jacket. Neji's hair grew longer and framed his face. He wore a white shirt with loose sleeves, matching pants with a dark navy grey apron tied around his waist. Tenten wore a long-sleeved white blouse with a high collar and red, hakama-like puffy pants, with her exposed hips covered in bandages.

"Naruto-kun!" Lee greeted enthusiastically. "Sakura-san!"

"Lee, Neji, Tenten, Guy-sensei." Naruto greeted.

"Who's the old lady?" Tenten asked.

"This is an advisor from Suna, Chiyo-sama." Sakura introduced.

Chiyo gave Team Guy the 'peace' sign. "Hello."

"Now, shall we, Kakashi?" Guy asked as he turned to the rock barrier blocking the cave.

"Yeah." Kakashi said, stepping next to Guy.

Neji looked through the barrier with his Byakugan. "The inside seems to be a rather large cave. I see three figures standing over the unconscious Kazekage. It looks like they're waiting for us."

"Then let's not keep them waiting!" Guy said as he jumped back several feet before charging at the barrier and punching it.

The impact caused a small quake, but the barrier remained unfazed.

"If we can't break it, we have to remove it the proper way." Kakashi said as he looked at the sealing tag on the rock. "This is a five-seal barrier."

"How do we remove it?" Guy asked.

"We have to find the other four seals and remove all five of them at the same time, or else the barrier won't break." Kakashi explained.

"There are four more like this?" Guy asked.

"Where would the other four be?" Naruto asked.

"Neji." Kakashi signalled.

"Byakugan!" Neji said as he activated the Doujutsu once more. "I found them! One is 500 meters east of here, on top of a rock. The second one is 350 meters south-southeast, on the trunk of a tree at riverside. The third one is about 650 meters to the northeast on a cliff wall. The last one is a little less than 800 meters to the southeast in a forest."

"They're pretty far away." Sakura commented. "How do we keep in contact?"

"At that distance, the radio should work." Guy said as he pulled out his own headset. "Through Neji's coordination and the radio, we'll find the tags! My team and I will go and find the other four!"

"All right." Kakashi agreed.

"Lee, you take the tag in the forest!" Guy said.

"Hai!" Lee saluted.

"I'll leave the one on the rock to you, Neji!"

"Right." Neji nodded.

"And Tenten will get the one on the tree, south-southeast."

"I understand." Tenten said.

"And that leaves me with the one on the cliff!" Guy said.

"Frequency?" Kakashi asked as he adjusted his radio.

"1-7-4." Guy answered.

"Everyone, can you hear me?" Lee asked in his microphone.

Unfortunately for the others using the radio, the volume of his microphone was too high and his voice yelled in their ears.

"Lee! Your microphone's volume is too high!" Tenten said.

Lee bowed. "I'm sorry!" He said, blasting their ears once more on accident.

"Lee!" Guy called out desperately.

Lee understood and embarrassingly lowered his radio volume. "I'm sorry..."

"Radio settings okay..." Tenten reported.

"Mine as well." Neji said.

"Alright! Team Guy, disperse!" Guy ordered and the team split up to find the tags.

"I guess I'll go back home." Pakkun, who guided Team Guy to the barrier at Kakashi's request, said. "I'd get in the way, anyway." He disappeared into smoke.

* * *

Team Guy found their tags quickly and, along with Kakashi with the one blocking the cave, removed the tags at the same time.

The moment Kakashi's tag was removed, Sakura charged at the boulder and punched it, destroying it easily.

The quartet entered the cave and was face to face with three figures. One was a blond male, another was a hunchback and the last one was masked and hooded.

"They're finally here, hmph." The blond Akatsuki member said from his seat on Gaara.

"Gaara!" Naruto cried out as he charged, Muramasa in hand.

"Naruto, wait!" Kakashi called out. To his shock, the blond and the hunchback didn't even move while the masked man moved between both blonds and unsheathed his weapon. It was katana, as large and curved as a scimitar, with a grey hilt.

Naruto and the masked man clashed swords for less than a second before bloody wounds appeared on Naruto's torso and was sent flying back.

"W-What the!?" Naruto exclaimed as he got up, using Kyuubi's chakra to heal. "It felt like-"

"Like I struck multiple times?" The masked man interrupted. "Our information about you told us of your stronger-than-average katana, Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, but even it does not hold a candle to Crissaegrim. For each swing, several wind blades instantly attack my target. And that's without the wielder using chakra. It becomes even more destructive if you do."

Naruto, Sakura, Chiyo and Kakashi's eyes widened. That was a powerful blade, indeed. Despite this, Chiyo's attention was on something more important to her.

"Sasori..." She muttered.

"I heard you retired ages ago, Chiyo-baa." Sasori, the hunchback, said.

"Oh my, a family reunion?" The masked man asked mockingly. "We simply _mustn't_ get in the way."

"You're right, Souma." Deidara said, to Kakashi's horror, as he molded clay into a small avian before throwing it in the air. The avian grew in size, becoming large enough to carry multiple people. Deidara and Souma got on the avian, which grabbed Gaara with its beak. "Have fun, Sasori no Danna!"

The avian flew over the quartet and got out of the cave.

"Dammit!" Naruto said as he gave chase.

"Naruto!" Kakashi called out before he turned to the pinkette. "Sakura, support Chiyo-baasama."

Sakura nodded. "Understood. Please make sure Naruto is safe."

Kakashi immediately pursued Naruto. "Guy, the enemy has split into two. We need backup." He said on the radio.

"I can't do that, Kakashi." Guy said. "We have all fallen into an enemy trap. Over and out."

Kakashi clicked his tongue in annoyance before he uncovered his Sharingan. "Guess I can't hold back."

"Do you really think a little girl and an old hag can take down Sasori no Danna, hmph?" Deidara asked as his creation glided over the duo.

"Don't make them worry about their allies, Deidara." Souma said. "Otherwise, our fights won't be as fun."

"_I do not like those odds."_ Kakashi thought. _"They can easily split us off. One of them defeated the Kazekage without aid and the other, according to Jiraiya-sama, is known to have multiple Kekkei Genkai, making him a terrifying opponent."_

"Mind if I take them both on, Souma?" Deidara asked.

"First, a Jinchuuriki-Kazekage, now a Jinchuuriki _and_ a Jonin? How greedy of you." Souma chuckled. "So long as you leave them alive, do as you wish."

"Both of them?" Deidara raised an eyebrow.

"I may not be allowed to take the Kyuubi, but Leader-sama said nothing about a Jinchuuriki's comrades. The Copy ninja's Sharingan may be transplanted, but it wouldn't be the first time I've taken a Kekkei Genkai that didn't belong to my victim."

"Taking a Kekkei Genkai?" Naruto muttered.

"Yes. This man has quite the reputation." Kakashi said.

"Sensei?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know if you're aware of this, Naruto, but a Fourth Shinobi War nearly happened almost a year ago." Kakashi explained.

"What!?"

"Oh, telling my story?" Souma asked. "Allow me, then. It all started with the mysterious abductions of Kekkei Genkai users in Suna, Iwa, Kumo and Kiri. As Konoha was the only one unaffected, fingers were immediately pointed toward the 'obvious' suspect. Luckily, I happened upon the culprit, whom I had been hunting for a while, Hiruko, a Konoha Nuke-nin. So the blame _was_ correct, just not the way everyone expected. When I killed Hiruko and collected his bounty, the existence of his Chimera Jutsu had spread around. It's a technique that allowed Hiruko to completely absorb a living body into his own to possess his target's Kekkei Genkai and abilities. At least, that's what I made people believe. When Hiruko's body was checked, they found inconsistencies on four parts of his body, them being where he _partially_ absorbed the bodies and Kekkei Genkai."

"A few weeks later, people saw you using the same Kekkei Genkai that Hiruko stole." Kakashi said.

Souma nodded. "I had to reveal my own Kekkei Genkai, which I named 'The Power of Dominance', to avoid the villages sending Hunter-nin at me. I automatically 'dominate' the souls of my victims upon killing them, gaining their chakra and Kekkei Genkai. Nuke-nin are fair game. And even if the Kekkei Genkai he had were stolen, Hiruko was a Nuke-nin. The villages reluctantly stopped sending Hunter-nin after me, for every failure would only make me stronger."

"I'm tired of this history class." Deidara said as his avian flew away from the Konoha duo, who started giving chase.

Kakashi went back to his radio. "Guy, how's your end?"

"Sorry, Kakashi, I'm going to need a bit more time." Guy answered.

Deidara then threw dozens of clay grasshoppers. They would jump in Kakashi's way and explode.

Naruto scowled as he saw that the many clay creatures would slow Kakashi down by a lot.

"You'll have to catch up fast, sensei." Naruto said as he ran ahead. "We can't afford to lose Gaara!"

Deidara floated in front of Naruto after they got far enough from Kakashi.

"_Finally_ alone, hmph." Deidara said.

"You say you'll take us both, but fight us one-on-one?" Naruto mocked.

"He's greedy, not stupid." Souma countered. "At any rate, he will be taking you both on."

Kakashi then appeared next to Naruto. "Looks like I'm just in time."

Deidara's eyes widened. "And I was sure my art did you in, hmph."

"It was simple enough to trick your art with a Kage Bunshin." Kakashi waved off.

Deidara clicked his tongue as he gained altitude.

"Naruto, do you think you can use your chains offensively?" Kakashi asked.

"I prefer to use them to restrain, but I can send it straight at the enemy instead of digging it under ground." Naruto answered.

"Good, because you will need a long ranged attack to fight him."

Kakashi told his plan to Naruto, but that he'd need time to prepare his first attack. They would have to simply follow Deidara for a bit.

"All right. I'm fully prepared." Kakashi said as his Sharingan shifted into a new form.

"Your new Sharingan?" Naruto wondered with interest.

"That's right. Stay behind me." Kakashi said before he turned his Sharingan to Deidara. "Mangekyo Sharingan!"

Souma and Deidara noticed the sky around them distorting. That's when they noticed a wormhole focusing on Deidara and his surroundings.

"The hell!?" Souma exclaimed as he dove off the clay avian and landed in the forest atop the cliff.

No matter how much Deidara would try to get away, Kakashi would keep his gaze on him, aiming his unusual Jutsu. In the end, Kakashi couldn't keep the Jutsu going and it ripped Deidara's right arm off, leaving without arms after he lost his left arm against Gaara.

"_This Jutsu..."_ Soma thought as he observed Deidara's predicament. _"He created a wormhole that tried to suck Deidara in. If Itachi, who is much better at using the Sharingan than Kakashi is, had such a Jutsu, the target would be done for. Your Sharingan is interesting, Kakashi Hatake."_

Kakashi then used the Jutsu once more, to Deidara's horror. But the Bomber managed to escape the Jutsu by having him and his mount hide in the trees.

Kakashi had tired himself out using the Jutsu.

"You all right, sensei?" Naruto asked. "Using the normal Sharingan already exhausts you, so I can't imagine what this one does to you."

"Yeah, its power comes at an even greater price, but I'm willing to pay it for my comrades." Kakashi said.

Deidara sighed in relief. Safe at last.

A chain immediately shot toward him and nailed his mount, decapitating it.

"Good job." Kakashi said as Naruto made Kage Bunshin to catch the mount's head and retrieved Gaara.

"I don't why you wanted the corpse so bad. Souma snapped his neck." Deidara said from a few trees away.

"You're about to join him." He heard Naruto from behind him.

"_What!?"_ Deidara thought as he turned around and received a fist to the face. _"W-When did he...?"_

He was then grabbed by four Kage Bunshin and slammed into the ground. A fifth Naruto descended toward him with a Rasengan in hand.

"Rasengan!" Naruto called out as he struck.

Deidara turned into clay as he was struck by the sphere. He had used Kawarimi. The Kage Bunshin dispelled.

"Naruto! Kakashi-sensei!" They heard Sakura call out as she landed next to the aforementioned duo, carrying Chiyo. Both of them looked worse for wear.

"You found us. Good." Kakashi said. "Does this mean you dealt with the other one?"

Sakura nodded.

"Where is Gaara?" Chiyo asked.

Naruto whistled and his remaining Kage Bunshin to carry the Kazekage over to the quartet.

They then heard sounds of a battle.

"Team Guy." Kakashi said as he saw said team battling Deidara, who was holding out surprisingly well. He turned to Souma, who was leaning against a tree. "Why aren't you helping him?"

"Because there is nothing I can do for him." Souma answered as Deidara landed next to the remains of his mount and bit down some of the clay. "Deidara's art is all about explosions. Without his arms, he practically can't use his art. There is only one thing he will do now. One. Last. _Explosion._" He said before he jumped further away from the battlefield.

Kakashi's eyes widened as Deidara started bloating.

Neji was looking at Deidara with his Byakugan and figured it out. "He is going to explode!" Everyone immediately started jumping away.

"Art is a bang!" Deidara cried out. "Katsu!"

Deidara went off in a massive explosion. Before it could reach anyone, however, Kakashi managed to use his Mangekyo to contain it in the wormhole.

"You really saved our asses, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said.

The others were shocked that Kakashi had such a Jutsu.

Kakashi was panting. Using that Jutsu three times was very exhausting.

"Just what did you do?" Sakura asked.

"I sent the explosion somewhere else." Kakashi answered.

"So that Jutsu is a Jikukan Ninjutsu, huh?" Everyone immediately turned to see Souma Kurusu sitting on a branch.

Sakura jumped up to the branch and reared her fist.

"Jinton: Mueisho." Souma called out calmly. He seemed to disappear in a Shunshin-like manner just as Sakura was about to strike him. After Sakura's punch broke the branch, Souma reappeared before her and punched her, sending her to the ground.

"Sakura-san!" Lee called out as he rushed to help the pinkette.

Souma dodged Lee's kick in the same manner as last time before kicking Lee in the air, followed by another kick to send him back to the ground.

Souma looked at the duo, who were getting back up, before turning around upon feeling Neji's presence.

"Hakke Rokujuuyon Sho!" Neji called out before he stopped himself in shock, his Byakugan eyes wide.

Souma punched Neji in the gut with a metal fist, making the Hyuuga caught blood as he crashed on the ground.

Tenten jumped in the air and threw her many protectiles at Souma, who simply held out a hand.

Suddenly, Tenten's projectiles shot towards her, injuring her as she fell back down.

Souma chuckled before he brought a hand up. With a snap of his fingers, their surroundings distorted. Suddenly, everyone was back in their original positions, before the fight ever started.

"Genjutsu?" Guy wondered.

"No." Neji said. "The battle _was _the genjutsu. I realized that with my Byakugan."

"That's right." Souma confirmed.

Guy looked at his students and Sakura. All four of them still had the injuries of the battle.

Souma chuckled. "Your eyes may no longer see the battle, but I'm making sure the rest of your body remembers."

Kakashi's eye widened in realization. This man was-

"All right, I'm outta here." Souma said before walking away.

The group was shocked.

"Don't you want to capture Naruto?" Sakura asked.

Souma stopped before looking over his shoulder. "I'm not allowed to take the Kyuubi. If you were in Akatsuki's shoes, you wouldn't want someone walking around with the Kyuubi's power until it's stored away either."

Chiyo used this opportunity to walk toward Gaara. She placed her hands over Gaara's chest and her hands glowed with a different kind of chakra.

Souma felt Gaara's soul stirring within him. "You are _reviving_ him. This is your life energy you are transferring to him." He realized.

"Chiyo-baasama!" Sakura cried out. "You will die if you use your Reincarnation Jutsu!"

"I am the one who sealed Shukaku within him. I am the one to blame for all that he suffered as a child. This is something I must do." Chiyo said.

Souma chuckled. "So be it." He immediately appeared by Chiyo and Gaara, to the group's horror, and held an orb. "Then take the Kazekage's soul as a reward for what you have managed to do here. Also, you should focus on his snapped neck."

He pressed the soul against Gaara's torso and it disappeared. At the same time, Gaara's neck had been healed by Chiyo's life energy.

"I highly doubt such a situation will happen again." Souma said as he walked away.

"Why have you done this?" Naruto asked.

"It's very simple." Souma said. "With the Kazekage alive, the chances of war, which would get in the way of Akatsuki's goal, are lowered." He then disappeared.

Chiyo collapsed as Gaara started breathing.

"Chiyo-baasama!" Sakura cried out as she ran to the elderly woman.

"For me to need the help of Gaara's own murderers to revive him..." Chiyo muttered. "But, that help has allowed me to do something right, after all the mistakes I have made, so I can 'live with it'..." She chuckled weakly before letting out her last breath.

Gaara opened his eyes. "What is this...?" He wondered.

"Gaara!" Temari said as she appeared and hugged her brother. The rest of her squad appeared immediately after.

"Gaara-sama!" Matsuri called out. "Are you all right!?"

Gaara nodded, still shocked.

The Suna shinobi started cheering.

When everyone returned to Suna, Chiyo was given a proper burial and the people celebrated the Kazekage's return. The Konoha teams then had to return to Konoha.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

Deidara jumped out of the rocky ground, panting.

"To think they made me use my self-destruct clone. I wanted to save that for later." He said. "At least I managed to escape. Now, to get my right arm and my ring back, hmph." He walked away.

* * *

**Kawa no Kuni cave**

A black and white being with a flytrap looked among the many puppets that were on the ground. He was looking for Sasori's 'corpse'.

"Odd." The white half said as he looked at the puppet that looked like Sasori's real form, a red-haired male. It was on the ground, next to an older version of itself and one that looked like a black-haired woman.

"**This one looks just like Sasori, but it doesn't have the ring."** The black half said.

"I found it, Zetsu-san!" They turned and saw a man wearing an orange-colored spiral mask with a childish personality looking at another puppet that looked like Sasori. It was restrained to a wall by a giant head that served as a seal. Sasori's left hand was on the ground, with a ring around his left thumb.

"This means I can become a member of Akatsuki, right?" The man with a child's attitude asked. "You have a vacant place, after all."

"**Idiot, it's not that simple."** Black Zetsu said.

"Leader-sama already welcomed Souma as a member, meaning the vacant place should be his." White Zetsu said.

"It's quite all right, Zetsu." The trio turned to see Souma walking in. "I only need to know who and where my next target is. That's the entire reason you and Leader-sama came to me in the first place. Besides, we all know that Leader-sama can't refuse Tobi."

"That's right!" Tobi said cheerfully. "Because Tobi is a good boy!"

Zetsu sighed while Souma chuckled. He never understood why Zetsu found that fake personality so annoying. He found it hilarious because it reminded him of his time in Konoha before leaving the Doppelganger there.

"Why did you give the Kazekage's soul back?" White Zetsu asked.

"Was the reason I gave not enough?" Souma asked. "Or do you want our jobs to become more complicated because a Kage's death started a war?"

"**You could have used the Kazekage's Jiton to use Sasori's Iron Sand scattered in this cave."**

"Sasori had a puppet that used the Sandaime Kazekage's Iron Sand!?" Souma asked before he looked around. Thanks to the lack of ceiling, the light of day allowed him to easily find the black sand. "Dammit, now I regret giving the soul back!"

"Is Souma-san going back to the Kazekage?" Tobi asked.

Souma sighed. "He isn't a Jinchuuriki anymore, nor does he have a bounty that makes it worth fighting an entire village."

"**We should be heading back, now."** Zetsu said as he walked away, with the others following.

* * *

"They got Deidara-san too?" Tobi wondered as he found Deidara's right arm and ring.

"Souma?" Zetsu asked.

"I saw Deidara use self-destruction, but I don't know if it was him or a clone." Souma said.

"I wanted to save that clone for later, but I had no choice." They turned to see a panting Deidara walking up to them.

"He's alive!" Tobi said. "You sure had a close call, huh Deidara-san? Are you okay? I guess not."

Deidara deadpanned. "Tobi... That was your last shot. If you say anything else, _I'll_ be deciding how you die."

Tobi shrugged. "You're still gonna blow me up anyway, so what's stopping me?"

Deidara immediately grabbed Tobi's neck with his legs and started choking him. "I'll kill you!"

Zetsu sighed and Souma laughed.

**And there's the first chapter of Shippuden! Onto the next one!**


	11. Chapter 11: Snake Hunting

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 11: Snake hunting**

The two teams made it back to the village, three days later. The most disturbing thing to have happened was Guy giving the exhausted Kakashi a piggyback ride.

Kakashi was taken to the hospital, where Tsunade examined him. He overworked himself so much that he'd rest for a week.

When Tsunade and Shizune left, Sakura followed them in a hurry. Naruto followed the trio silently. While Sakura was Tsunade's apprentice, she wouldn't follow in such a hurry without something urgent to say.

* * *

He was right to think so. Sasori, as a reward for defeating him, told Sakura that he was supposed to meet a spy at the Tenchi Bridge in Kusa no Kuni, where Orochimaru had a base. The spy was a subordinate of Orochimaru, meaning he would have information about Sasuke. Shizune objected to sending Naruto there, saying he'd be safer from Akatsuki inside the village.

"What would Naruto say if he heard about this?" Tsunade said loudly, to her apprentices' confusion.

"Who will be our teammates for this mission?" Naruto said, revealing his position.

Sakura and Shizune turned to him in shock.

"I'll look for people to replace Kakashi and Sasuke." Tsunade said. "In the meantime, Team 8 and Team 10 returned from their missions, so how about you show them you've returned while I look?"

"Sounds good." Naruto said as he walked away.

* * *

As Naruto walked around the village, he saw guy with a black jacket hanging down to his knees and a green hood. He wondered who this was, but then he saw his face and heard his voice.

"It's been a while, Naruto." Shino said.

"Indeed. Have people had a hard time recognizing you with this outfit, Shino?" Naruto asked.

"People have seen the differences I have made throughout the years." Shino said.

"When you put it that way, they'd have an even easier time than me, who's been gone for two years and a half."

Suddenly, something landed between him and Shino. When the smoke dissipated, he saw Kiba and... Akamaru!?

"You're early, Shino!" Kiba said before he noticed Naruto. "Hey, Naruto!"

"Dude, what the hell did you give Akamaru to eat!?" Naruto asked. Akamaru was large enough for Kiba to ride on, which he was! Kiba now wore a form-fitting black leather jacket with black pants.

"What are you talking about?" Kiba asked.

"Last time I saw you two, Akamaru was small enough to rest on your head and now, you're riding him like a horse! Don't tell me you didn't notice _that_!" Naruto said.

"Well, I'm always with him..." Kiba said sheepishly.

"You really didn't notice?" Naruto deadpanned before he sighed. "Then again, you use your nose more than your eyes."

Kiba mock-glared. "What was that!?"

Naruto smirked. "You heard me perfectly, unless your ears are just as bad as your eyes."

"You're asking for it now!" Kiba said.

Naruto was about to retort, but he heard a gasp. He turned around, but there was no one. That could only mean one person.

"Hello, Hinata." Naruto greeted as he walked around the corner to look at the young woman.

"N-Naruto-kun..." Hinata greeted shyly, her cheeks already reddening.

She kept her hime-style hair, only it reached her waist. She wore a loose fitting, long-sleeved, lavender and cream zip-up jacket with lavender cuffs. Underneath her jacket, from what little couldn't be zipped, he saw mesh armor. She also wore navy blue pants and black, low-heeled sandals. She still wore her headband around her neck, but the cloth was changed to black.

Naruto looked at Hinata from her head to her feet and couldn't help himself.

"Three years does a girl good." He muttered, just loud enough for Hinata to hear him. He was sure that Kiba had heard him, thanks to his heightened senses.

Hinata's face became very red and steam came out of her ears before she fainted, leaning against the fence.

"Aaaand she passed out." Naruto said with amusement as he carried her to the tree Shino was leaning against. "What are you guys doing here, anyway? Team meeting?"

"We are waiting for Anko-sensei for our new mission." Shino explained.

"I see... How's Kurenai-sensei doing? Has she...?" Naruto trailed off.

"Kurenai-sensei's group of friends, along with Asuma-sensei and Hinata managed to help her, but she's still pained by Yakumo's kidnapping." Kiba answered as he looked down sadly.

"I would imagine." Naruto sighed. "Well, it's been great seeing you guys again, but I gotta find Choji and Ino. I haven't seen them yet."

Just as he was about to walk away, he saw that Hinata had regained consciousness. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty, you're up."

"_Sleeping Beauty!?"_ Hinata thought before she blushed and passed out once more.

"You did it on purpose." Kiba accused.

"Couldn't help myself." Naruto admitted as he walked away. "Well, later."

* * *

He then found Shikamaru and Choji.

Choji was tall, taller than Shikamaru. He wore a red suit with plated armor around his torso, arms and upper legs. His brown hair also reached his waist.

"Hey, you two." Naruto greeted as he walked up to them.

"Oh, Naruto! I heard you came back!" Choji said happily.

"Yeah, had some free time and I heard from the Godaime that Team 8 and 10 were in the village. I already met up with Team 8, I only have you and Ino to see, Choji."

Before the conversation could go any further, a chain shot out of Naruto's back and attacked something that tried to attack him from behind. He turned around and saw that whatever he had hit turned into ink.

Further away, he saw a pale guy holding a scroll and a brush. He had short, black hair and black eyes. He wore a short black jacket with red straps over a high-collared midriff shirt. He also wore black pants and gloves, though the pointer fingers and thumbs weren't covered. He wore the Konoha headband on his forehead.

"That guy attacked me out of nowhere, despite being a Konoha Shinobi." Naruto said. "Maybe he's testing me? Well, I would hate to disappoint!"

He charged, Muramasa in hand. The guy dipped his brush in ink and started painting in his scroll with impressive speed.

"Ninpo: Choju Giga." The guy said when he finished painting.

His drawings shot out of the scroll and gained life. They all charged at Naruto. Naruto jumped in the air and slashed every ink beast, making them turn into ink in a similar way that Mizu Bunshin turn into water upon defeat. The newcomer unsheathed his tipless tanto and clashed with Naruto. Muramasa easily cut the tanto, to the newcomer's shock, and Naruto kicked him in the gut, knocking him to the wall. Naruto kept the guy pinned by leaving his feet on his gut.

"Was that enough of a demonstration?" Naruto asked.

The guy gave him a smile that anybody could see was fake. "It was. You are quite skilled. You must have a big dick."

Naruto looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Is that how you analyze everybody?"

The guy gained a confused look. "I read in a book that a Shinobi's sizes are a way to measure their skills and the other way around as well. Is that not true?"

Naruto shrugged. "It's mostly an inside joke. But, every rumor, story and legend always has a hint of truth in them."

The guy nodded. "I see. I will have to read up more on this."

"You do that." Naruto said as he let the guy free. "Naruto Uzumaki."

"Sai." Sai introduced himself as ink swirled around him. "We'll meet again, Naruto-kun." He said before disappearing with a swirl of ink.

"_Ink Shunshin?"_ Naruto thought.

"Choji! I figured you'd be here!" They heard a female voice call out. They all turned to the source and saw Ino.

She also had noticeable changes. The bang of hair in front of her face had flattened and covered the right half of her face. She also no longer had the bandages that once covered her legs and waist. She had fishnet on her elbows and knees. She wore a purple, sleeveless blouse that left her waist exposed, an open-front purple apron-skirt over a shorter, black skirt with fishnet shorts underneath. She no longer wore her headband.

"Sorry Ino." Choji apologized. "Some weirdo attacked Naruto."

"Naruto?" Ino asked as she noticed her fellow blond walk back to them. "It really is you!"

"How's it going?" Naruto greeted.

"How long have you been back?" Ino asked with a huff, hands on her hips. "You could have come and said hi."

"I had a training session almost immediately as I returned, a week ago, before ending up with a mission that lasted said week." Naruto sighed. "Luckily, I'm using my current free time to see the rest of the group I hadn't seen, being you, Choji and Team 8."

"Well, at least you didn't forget." Ino relented.

* * *

After some small talk, Ino and Choji left to join Asuma for a mission. Naruto then received a message to join Sakura to meet the new members of the team.

"Looks like we're the first ones here." Naruto said as he and Sakura looked around.

"We _are_ a bit early." Sakura commented.

"Hello." They turned to the direction of the voice and saw Sai.

"So, you're one of our new teammates, Sai?" Naruto asked.

Sai nodded. "That's right."

Sakura looked at Naruto with confusion. "You know this guy?"

Naruto shrugged. "He attacked me out of nowhere to test my skills. Odds are he knew we'd become teammates."

"Sorry about that." Sai said with his fake smile.

"Greetings." A man behind Sai said. "I'll be Kakashi-senpai's replacement until he recovers. I am Yamato."

Yamato had short brown hair and black almond-shaped eyes. He wore the typical shinobi attire and flak jacket, except his didn't have the crests on the shoulders. He also wore a Happuri-style Forehead Protector that framed his face.

"The four of us will be doing a mission soon." Yamato explained. "And we won't have many chances to get to know each other. So, introduce yourself!"

"Naruto Uzumaki."

"Sakura Haruno."

"Sai."

"Alright, that should be enough for now." Yamato said after the trio said their names. "I'll explain the mission. Our mission is to head to the Tenchi Bridge, in Kusa no Kuni, to capture the Akatsuki spy working under Orochimaru. This is also a rare chance to gain information on Orochimaru and Sasuke Uchiha. We'll have a reliable source of information for planning Orochimaru's assassination and Sasuke's retrieval if we can capture this spy. Be sure to proceed with caution"

The trio nodded.

"Assemble at the main gate in an hour." Yamato ordered. "We'll depart once you've equipped yourselves."

* * *

Kakashi, on his hospital bed, opened his right eye upon hearing his window open. He heard an amused laugh.

"Don't you look silly." He heard Jiraiya's voice. "Well, no more than usual, I suppose."

"Jiraiya-sama." Kakashi greeted as he sat up.

"Heard you're gonna be holed up here for a week." Jiraiya commented.

"Pretty much." Kakashi said.

"Well..." Jiraiya fished for something inside his outfit before slamming it on the nightstand. "Here's a 'get well' gift."

Kakashi turned his eye to the nightstand and saw two Deluxe editions of Icha Icha Paradise.

"Sure, you've read 'em before, but it'll help pass the time." Jiraiya grinned.

"Thanks." Kakashi said before turning his eye to Jiraiya. "But you didn't come back just to see me, did you."

"Let's wait for Tsunade and your substitute to get here. He's going by the nickname Yamato, you'll know when you see him."

The two of them waited for a bit until they heard a knock at the door.

"Kakashi." Tsunade called out. "May we enter."

"Come on in." Kakashi said, putting the book back on the nightstand.

Shizune opened the door and she entered after Tsunade and Yamato.

"Long time no see, Kakashi-senpai." Yamato greeted.

Kakashi's eye widened. "Tenzo... So this is the Yamato you were talking about. Go figure."

"That's right." Yamato said as he and Tsunade approached the bed. "While filling in as acting-captain for Team Kakashi, my codename shall be Yamato."

"Is this really necessary?" Kakashi asked Tsunade. "Naruto seems to be perfectly fine."

"I trust Naruto." Tsunade said. "I _don't_ trust the Fox."

"Even after I loosened the Seal, Naruto's been handling the Kyuubi's Chakra quite well. But, as they say, better safe than sorry." Jiraiya said.

"I see..." Kakashi muttered before turning to Tsunade. "Hokage-sama, there was a detail I didn't mention when my team was around."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "It better be important if you withheld information."

Kakashi nodded. "It's about Souma Kurusu." He immediately got the room's full attention. "As Jiraiya-sama feared, his reputation is legitimate. But I found out something terrible during our mission."

"What is it?" Jiraiya asked.

Kakashi closed his eye. "I fear Souma Kurusu may be this 'Dracula' who ordered Yakumo's kidnapping."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"You saw Souma use the Kurama Clan Kekkei Genkai?" Tsunade asked, shocked.

Kakashi nodded. "When my team and Team Guy fought him, he used the Kekkei Genkai of the other Countries to injure the younger members before partially cancelling the Genjutsu that was said battle. The injuries remained, even though nothing happened."

Jiraiya frowned. "This is worse than I thought. At this point, Souma could only have joined the Akatsuki to get the Bijuu for himself."

Tsunade turned to Yamato. "Keep a _very_ close eye on Naruto."

Yamato saluted. "Yes Ma'am."

* * *

After finishing his preparations, Naruto went to the main gate.

"Okay." Yamato said once everyone had assembled. "Team Kakashi, we head out now!"

The team then went on their way to Kusa no Kuni.

They stopped at a hot spring resort for the first night and went on their way in the morning.

* * *

On the way to Kusa, Yamato made them cut through a forest instead of continuing down the road.

"Why are we doing through here, Yamato-taichou?" Sakura asked. "I'm pretty sure the road we were on would have taken us there earlier."

"I believe Tsunade-sama already told you that the information could be a trap." Yamato explained. "It may actually be Akatsuki waiting at the Tenchi Bridge. It's a definite possibility. Don't forget that they are also after Naruto-kun. It isn't very likely, but I prefer to be careful. Until we reach the Tenchi Bridge, we will avoid the main roads as much as possible."

They continued through the forest and stopped in an open area.

Yamato made some handsigns, to the team's confusion. "Mokuton: Shichuka no Jutsu!" Trees shot out of the ground and made a house. "We'll be camping out here tonight!"

"_That was Shodai-sama's Mokuton Ninjutsu!"_ Sakura thought.

"_I have to report this to the original as soon as possible!"_ Naruto thought.

The inside was spacious, but lacking in furniture.

"Everyone, gather 'round." Yamato said. "And Sakura, I have a few things to ask you."

"Should I have a Kage Bunshin keep watch outside?" Naruto asked.

"Good thinking, Naruto-kun. Go ahead." Yamato smiled.

Naruto made a Kage Bunshin, which exited the house and, when it hid in the shadows, left for the castle.

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

"It's about Sasori." Yamato said. "I actually wanted to ask about him sooner, but I promised we wouldn't talk about work yesterday. Today, you're going to tell me everything. You're the only one who has seen him in person, after all."

"Yes." Sakura said.

"I have a file from Suna about Sasori, but I need you to tell me about his personality, speech-pattern, gestures and mannerisms in as much detail as you can."

"You sound like you're going to impersonate him." Naruto commented.

Sakura's eyes widened. "Sasori's most seen form is a puppet he called Hiruko... You're going to use a Mokuton Jutsu to take that puppet's form!"

Yamato nodded. "Impressive. Your time as a team shows. The spy under Orochimaru thinks that he will meet Sasori at the Tenchi Bridge. This is our best bet."

The trio nodded.

* * *

**Dracula's castle**

The Kage Bunshin entered the Throne Room and bowed to Dracula. The lack of lit candles prevented the clone from seeing the Lord of Darkness.

"What is so important that you came to report ahead of time?" Dracula demanded.

The Bunshin bowed his head. "The boss is on a mission and discovered something that was very important to report."

"I see... Go right ahead."

The clone nodded. "Currently, Boss, Sakura and two other shinobi are headed to the Tenchi Bridge, in Kusa no Kuni, to meet one of Sasori's spy working under Orochimaru. They also plan to use this chance to possibly get Sasuke back. That's not what matters here, however. What matters is that one of those two shinobi, Yamato, is able to use the Shodai Hokage's Mokuton."

Dracula's eyes narrowed. "The Mokuton... Interesting. Other than Tsunade, there shouldn't be any more Senju. That leaves one possibility: he is one of Orochimaru's experiments, like Arashi Fuma or Mizuki's Liquid Cursed Mark. Make sure he stays alive, I will, one day, add his soul to my arsenal."

The clone bowed and dispelled.

* * *

Naruto gained his clone's memories. "Other than the animals disturbed by the house's sudden appearance, there's nothing else in the vicinity."

Yamato nodded. "Then let's get on to the main topic: our mission is to capture our target. We must not let him die. This remains true even if we fight him. If he's accidentally killed, we'll have lost a valuable source of information. This mission is going to be more difficult than simply killing an enemy. Because this is such a delicate operation, I'll be the one to make the first move. You will all back me up. The strategy is simple. First scenario, I successfully restrain the target. Second scenario, I fail at restraining the target and we are forced into battle, you three get into battle formation. I'll signal you when I want you to do so. Should the second scenario come into play, I want you to take action using the buddy system. So, I'm going to decide our groups. Sakura and I will be one team. Naruto and Sai will be the second team."

Sai turned to Naruto with that fake smile of his. "I'm counting on you."

Naruto nodded. "Same here."

Yamato nodded in satisfaction. "We have to assume that the target is highly skilled. Any slip-ups in our teamwork could cost us our lives. We don't know the exact location of Orochimaru's hideout, but that Akatsuki spy should be heading toward the bridge by now. We better be prepared."

* * *

On the day of the meeting, they hid among the trees, waiting for the spy to show himself.

A figure wearing a cloak stepped on the bridge. Yamato, disguised as Sasori's Hiruko puppet, met the spy halfway through the bridge.

"It's good to see you again, Sasori-sama." The spy said as he revealed his face. It was Kabuto! "It's been five years, hasn't it?"

Naruto and Sakura were shocked.

"Were you followed?" Yamato asked with Sasori's voice.

"No, we're fine." Kabuto reassured.

"How are you?" 'Sasori' asked.

"I still feel a little shaken from when your Jutsu was released, and I remembered who I really was. My mind is clouded a bit, as well."

"I've got a few questions for you."

"We don't have much time, please keep them brief." Kabuto urged. "I'm risking my life just by being here."

"Tell me what you know about his hideouts, and Sasuke Uchiha."

"There are multiple hideouts. He switches from one location to the next each week to keep his whereabouts unknown. Of course, he has them in many countries, not just Oto. Orochimaru's spies sneak in, set them up and manage them in his absence. But, he makes use of many different methods to switch locations, so tracking him isn't easy." Kabuto explained.

"Where is he now?" 'Sasori' asked.

"Currently, he's concealed himself on an island in the northern lake, and will move in three days. Sasuke Uchiha is there as well."

Before the conversation could continue, they heard rustling from Kabuto's side of the bridge, making the spy turn around in a hurry. A rabbit jumped out of the bushes.

"Oh, a rabbit." Kabuto stated before he turned back to 'Sasori'. "By the way, about the matter you ordered me to look into. The body that Orochimaru transferred out of had protective wards surrounding it, so I was unable to get the cell samples you requested."

"I see." 'Sasori' said.

Kabuto narrowed his eyes. "If you would be so kind, hurry and give me the item. I can't afford to stay here any longer. I'll be killed if he finds out I'm here with you."

"Fine." 'Sasori' said as he knew he couldn't get any more information. He immediately took out a kunai, to Kabuto's shock.

"Interesting conversation." They heard Orochimaru's voice as the snake man appeared behind Kabuto. "Mind if I join you?"

Kabuto discarded his cloak and stood next to 'Sasori'. "If you hadn't drawn your kunai, Sasori-sama, I wouldn't have been able to dodge in time!"

"That outfit... It reminds me of the old days, Sasori." Orochimaru said.

"You followed Kabuto?" 'Sasori' asked.

"Don't be rude, I just thought I'd come and thank you." The snake said. "That child was a true blessing. When I developed new Jutsu, I used to go through over a hundred of test subjects for each one I created. But thanks to this boy's medical skills, I was able to use the same subject over and over again. I had been running low on them recently, you see."

Kabuto activated his Chakra Scalpel and immediately attacked Yamato, to wood user's shock. Yamato jumped in the air to avoid any more attacks.

"Sen'ei Tajashu!" Orochimaru called out as snakes shot out of his sleeve and aimed for Yamato. The snakes retrained him and bit him, but Yamato had used a Mokuton Kawarimi.

"A wooden replacement. Then you must be..." Orochimaru trailed off as he retracted the snakes.

"Is this Sasori's real body, Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto asked.

"Not at all." Orochimaru said. "Don't tell me you haven't seen the real Sasori, despite being his spy for so long."

Kabuto smiled. "He was always hiding within his puppets. It was quite creepy, if you ask me."

"Kabuto, you were supposed to be an Akatsuki spy." Yamato said. "You were supposed to be trapped by Sasori's Jutsu!"

"Orochimaru-sama dealt with that Jutsu a long time ago." Kabuto waved off.

"So you switched sides? Is Orochimaru controlling you now?"

"Not at all." Kabuto said. "I just happen to sympathize with his cause. And who might you be? We were planning to kill Sasori here, but things seem to have gone awry."

"I will tell you about him later, Kabuto." Orochimaru said before glancing at Yamato. "Now then, why don't you bring out the rats hiding behind you?"

Yamato complied and made the signal, prompting the trio to jump out of hiding and stand between their captain and the enemy.

"Ah, and so we see each other again, Naruto-kun." Kabuto said.

"I wonder how much you have progressed since we last saw you." Orochimaru said. "Are you even closely matched to my Sasuke-kun, i wonder?"

"I know for a fact Sasuke would use whatever he learned in the past three years to kill you if he heard you talking about him like property." Naruto responded.

Orochimaru chuckled. "How true..." He then tried a different approach, seeing as Naruto couldn't be taunted in such a manner. "Seeing you, however, as reminded me of something. A Nuke-nin, Souma Kurusu, I think he is called?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed. Where was he going with this?

"Three years ago, when I tried to destroy Konoha, Sarutobi-sensei summoned the Shinigami to try and seal me like the Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi within you. When the Shinigami grabbed my soul, I saw its face. Imagine my surprise when, by looking through the Bingo Book, I see a Nuke-nin wearing a mask that looks exactly like the Shinigami's face."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly. Did he know about the mask's power?

"I then started wondering about this man and his Kekkei Genkai: 'The Power of Dominance'. An interesting name, if I do say so myself. What was curious to me was that he came in the possession of that mask in the first place. After all, how did he know of the Uzumaki Storage Temple?"

"Uzumaki Storage Temple?" Naruto feigned ignorance.

"Oh? Do you not know of the Uzumaki Clan?" Orochimaru smirked. "To not be told of your family, such a cruel fate. I can only think of how foolish Sarutobi-sensei was of hiding your parent's identity from you."

Naruto's hands clenched. He knew that Orochimaru was taunting him and he would respond in kind, just like any 'orphan' would in his place.

Sakura looked at Naruto worriedly. Naruto had been an orphan his entire life, as far as she knew, and suddenly learned from an enemy that he had a clan. She could see that, for once, his patience was reaching its limit.

"Kushina Uzumaki." Orochimaru said. "A powerful and fiery woman, if there ever was one. And she was the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki before you were born. Yet, her status was never made public like yours was. What kind of manipulations did Sarutobi-sensei have in mind?"

A purple blur ran toward Orochimaru and slammed a hand right on his face, sending the snake man flying into the forest behind him. The power behind the attack destroyed whatever parts of the forest were in Orochimaru's way.

Team Kakashi and Kabuto looked at Naruto in shock. The Kyuubi chakra was around him like a shroud while keeping Kitsune's shape. Even if it was shaped with nine tails, one was larger than the others, showing that he was really using one tail's worth of Star Kyuubi Chakra.

"_Naruto..."_ Sakura thought, worried.

"_What is this?"_ Sai wondered.

Yamato remembered the conversation he had with Jiraiya. While the Toad Sage said that Naruto was very much in control of a large part of the Kyuubi's chakra, even after its enhancement, this may be the first time blond uses it while angry, maybe even enraged. He would have to be careful.

"Your Jinchuuriki abilities have grown a lot since the healing factor you used back then." Kabuto commented.

Naruto ignored Kabuto as he looked at Orochimaru, who was walking out of the forest's broken path. His long hair was covering his face.

"You are very much the Jinchuuriki now, Naruto-kun." The snake man said as he raised his face, revealing the host body's face underneath the torn layer of skin. "It makes perfect sense now. Of course they would place the Mokuton user with you. Using the Shodai Hokage's DNA I implanted in him when he was a child and my lab rat, he can restrain your Jinchuuriki powers. To think Tsunade-hime doesn't even trust you after you kept her away from me, three years ago."

Naruto snarled and immediately went four tails. The chakra became so thick it completely covered Naruto's form, leaving only the image of a miniature purple Kyuubi.

"Interesting." Orochimaru said as the bridge started breaking apart from the sheer pressure of the chakra and the wind started fiercely blowing in multiple places.

"_Such power..."_ Sakura thought fearfully. _"There's no way anyone can control such terrifying chakra! It really is beyond human comprehension!"_

Kabuto charged toward Naruto with his Chakra Scalpel. An extra appendage grew from the Kyuubi Chakra. It was an arm wielding Muramasa. Kabuto jumped back when the arm tried to swipe at him.

Orochimaru jumped back toward the forest and Naruto gave pursuit.

Naruto grew tired to the snake hiding himself and roared, destroying the nearby surrounding woods

"This child intrigues me to no end!" Orochimaru cackled as he got up from the destruction. He then vomited thousands on snakes, which started charging toward Naruto with a blade in each of their mouths.

Naruto swung his arm in front of him. The chakra focused in the swipe exploded in a massive shockwave and incinerated the snakes. He then slammed his hands into the ground. Orochimaru noticed that the crack caused by this were getting closer and closer to him, making him jump away just in time to dodge two large chakra arms. An arm grew out of one of the arms and aimed for Orochimaru. Every time the arm was about to catch him, Orochimaru would jump away.

Orochimaru then charged Naruto and tried to punch him, only for the Jinchuuriki to sidestep and catch the snake, with the physical contact causing the chakra to scorch Orochimaru's body. But the Sannin spat another version of himself before his body burned completely.

He had shed his skin like a snake.

Naruto growled before he raised his head to the sky and pointed his larger tails in front of his face, creating a Bijuudama, the Bijuu's most destructive Jutsu, at the focus point.

"This is getting dangerous." Orochimaru said as he felt the sheer density of the incoming attack. He jumped several meters away. "Even I would die if I took a direct attack of such condensed chakra." He then bit both of his thumbs, breaking skin and bleeding, before slamming his hands on the ground. "Kuchiyose: Sanju Rashomon!"

Three demon-faced gates emerged from the ground between Naruto and Orochimaru.

Naruto shot the Bijuudama regardless of the protection. The sphere of chakra shot toward the first gate before exploding into a directed blast that destroyed all three gates and the forest behind them.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he saw Orochimaru's body, buried from the shoulders up into the ground, his feet dangling in the air.

The ground in front of him started to crack, causing him to look down as Orochimaru's head shot out of the ground with a blade in his mouth. Naruto was stabbed straight in the gut and dragged on the ground as the blade grew longer and longer until he crashed on Team Kakashi's side of the cliff, next to the bridge.

"_Even with my efforts and the Kusanagi, I cannot pierce him. Impressive."_ Orochimaru thought.

The blade hadn't even pierced the chakra, let alone broken Naruto's skin. He effortlessly swatted it away like a fly, causing the blade to cut trees to his right.

To his left, he saw the damaged bridge. Yamato, Sakura and Kabuto were staring at him. He narrowed his eyes. Where was Sai?

Orochimaru slowly retracted the Kusanagi blade, knowing it was worthless against the chakra.

"Instead of a battle between Shinobi, this is one between monsters." Kabuto said, not knowing he was even more correct than he thought. "Just look at that thing. He's even lost control over his body."

"**Shut up, four-eyes."** Naruto said, shocking the trio.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked fearfully.

Naruto got up and walked toward the trio. Kabuto then disappeared, probably to join Orochimaru in the forest. With Kabuto gone, Naruto deactivated Kyuubi's chakra, looking perfectly fine.

"Jiraiya-sama was not exaggerating when he said you had great control over the chakra." Yamato said, shocked.

"I like to think I have an easier time than most." Naruto said. "Sorry about the outburst, but it felt good to vent the anger."

"You call that venting!?" Sakura asked incredulously.

"The collateral damage was done even though I always aimed for Orochimaru. This would have been even worse if I was just fixated on destruction." Naruto countered before looking around. "Where's Sai?"

Sakura scowled. "That jerk left us the moment you chased after Orochimaru!"

In the middle of the conversation, the trio arrived at the spot Naruto and Orochimaru fought.

There was ink on the ground. Sai's belongings were on the ground, meaning he had been restrained momentarily. Sakura picked up Sai's picture book.

"Why didn't he pick it up?" Sakura wondered. The book was important to Sai, despite him saying he feels no emotion.

"If he was nervous enough to forget picking his belongings up, he must have been pretty tense while he was speaking with Orochimaru." Yamato said.

"You make it sound like you saw everything." Naruto said.

"I had sent a Moku Bunshin after you, in case you really went out of control. Right now, my Bunshin is spying on Sai, Kabuto and Orochimaru, who seem to be headed somewhere together."

"Together? Did he betray us, just like that?" Naruto asked.

"It's very much possible..." Sakura said before she turned to Yamato. "Yamato-Taicho, do you know about Danzo?"

Yamato nodded. "A war-hawk of a man, who once opposed the Sandaime Hokage."

"For this bandaged old man to be mentioned in this situation... Is he a superior officer to Sai?" Naruto asked.

Sakura nodded. "Shishou told me Danzo was Sai's superior."

"Danzo may be using Sai as a means to pulling something off. He may have given Sai a mission that differs from our own. With all this, I have the speculation that Danzo may be trying to destroy Konoha as we know it." Yamato said.

"On one hand, you have old man Sandaime, who believes in peace. On the other hand, you have a war-hawk." Naruto commented. "If Danzo had become Hokage, Konoha could have been very different from what it is today."

Yamato nodded. "With Tsunade-sama at the helm of Konoha, most of the village follows the teachings of the Sandaime, something Danzo opposes. Not to mention that most of the villagers support those ideas, making it hard to change their minds."

"To do that, he would need a calamity. Orochimaru's Suna-Oto invasion would be a good example." Sakura said.

"If he's trying to make an alliance with Orochimaru to try and overthrow Tsunade-sama, it can only mean he's planning another attack." Yamato said.

"And rebuild the village in his image as the new Hokage." Naruto finished, making the other two nod grimly.

"Depending on how things go, we may have to kill Sai." Yamato said.

"Kill him?" Sakura asked, horrified.

"So be it." Naruto said. "It's one of the many scenarios of a shinobi's life." Naruto said.

Yamato nodded. "My clone is tailing them, but I don't know how long that will last. We're going after them too."

The duo nodded and followed Yamato.

* * *

On the way, the trio looked inside Sai's book. There were drawings of two children, one who looked like Sai, fighting their enemies and taking their enemies' armor and weapons before the next fight. After that, Yamato received a radio transmission from his clone, saying he managed to follow them to Orochimaru's base.

"Naruto." Sakura called out. "This time, we will definitely bring Sasuke back."

"_Is that all that goes through her head?"_ Naruto wondered before he said. "Yeah."

They eventually arrived at a rocky wasteland.

"Is this the place?" Yamato asked his clone,

"The entrance is right in front of us, beneath those boulders." The clone answered.

Yamato placed a hand on his clone, who turned into wood before becoming a seed on Yamato's hand. Yamato then pulled out another seed.

"Swallow these, Naruto, Sakura." Yamato said.

"And that will..." Naruto trailed off.

"Allow me to track you if we get split up." Yamato explained.

The duo nodded and swallowed the Mokuton seeds. Naruto had to hold back the Power of Dominance from dominating the seed's chakra, lest he make Yamato suspicious of him.

"Did you do this with Sai?" Naruto asked.

Yamato nodded. "Back at the hot spring resort, I placed one on his clothes and food. Enough about that, let's go."

Yamato made some handsigns and slammed his hand on the ground, making a large hole. Yamato jumped down and whistled after a moment, prompting the other two to jump down. Yamato dug a tunnel to the entrance until they reached a stone wall.

One of Yamato's fingers turned into wood and dug through some cracks, silently breaking the wall.

"From now on, suppress your chakra as much as you can." Yamato ordered. "Otherwise Orochimaru will notice that we are here."

The trio jumped through the hole.

"So far, our infiltration is a success." Sakura whispered.

"Let's look for Sai first." Yamato said as he focused on the tracker he placed on Sai. "This way."

The duo followed Yamato through the hallways and he opened a locked door by turning the tip of his finger into a key. Sai was inside the room.

"I figured you'd be here." Yamato said as the team entered.

"Nothing less from one of the Hokage's personal Anbu." Sai said with his fake smile. "The fake corpse didn't even fool you."

Sakura walked up to Sai and held out his picture book.

"Ah, thank you." Sai said as he took the book.

"It was Danzo who ordered you to ally with Orochimaru, right?" Sakura asked. "He's plotting something involving Orochimaru and you were chosen to be the liaison."

Sai stayed silent.

"He wants to make a new plan to crush the leaf, doesn't he?" Yamato asked.

"Now that you've all discovered me, my mission is a failure." Sai said. "I can't finish you all off by myself. There's no point in hiding the truth. I was to be taken in by Orochimaru with the understanding that I would help him conspire against Konoha. That is the true mission that was assigned to me. But I also had to secretly send information back to Danzo-sama. In other words, I'm working as a spy."

"That's dangerous." Sakura commented.

"The moment Konoha is destroyed, Orochimaru will definitely betray us. It's a preventative measure to make sure we keep the upper hand."

"I see." Yamato said.

"Danzo really wants to make Konoha his." Sakura said. "And you're supposed to make it all happen by yourself?"

"The information that I write takes the form of small animals. That's how I can still leak information without compromising my safety. I was chosen for this mission because of that ability." Sai explained.

"People will die if this plan is executed, Sai!" Sakura argued.

"I do not care. I'm just following orders." Sai said. "Also, 'Sai' is a name I was given just for this mission. I am no one. I am merely one of Danzo-sama's arms. I do not exist. There is no point in saying anything to me."

"If that's true, then why do you still treasure that picture book?" Sakura asked.

Sai was taken aback by the question before he looked at the book.

"The ones on the cover are you and your brother, right?" Sakura asked. "Why is that book so precious to you? Because it's the only thing that proves you exist. You haven't lost your emotions as much as you claim. No shinobi can fully throw away their emotions. The fact that you accepted the book back and said 'thank you' proves it. You felt relief when I gave it back."

"In what way does carrying this picture book prove that I exist?" Sai asked, looking at Sakura.

"The reason is because you can't give up the image you have of yourself as a little brother. Do you know why?"

Sai stayed silent.

"Because your bond with your brother is important to you! You don't want to destroy the bond you share with your brother."

"Bond?" Sai asked.

"We took a peek at the book on the way here. Only the two centre pages are incomplete." Yamato said. "Sai, I know you are from Anbu Root. I also know that you went through a special training program to help you kill your emotions. Going with the flow of the book, you take the weapons and armors of the foes you defeat. When you get to the centre pages, you would face your brother. You killed your-"

"I did not." Sai interrupted. "This was supposed to be a present for my brother. But, just when the book was almost completed, he died from an unknown disease. There are a lot of children who were torn away from their parents because of war. He and I got along like real brothers. He often praised my pictures. The center was the part I wanted to show him the most, but since he died, I don't know what i want to draw on them."

"Shouldn't we get out of here, in case someone is coming?" Naruto asked.

Yamato nodded and restrained Sai with some wood.

Naruto then saw an envelope on the bed, picked it up and looked at its content. This is a list of Konoha's Anbu! Naruto pocketed it in his coat.

* * *

The team got out of the base the way they came in.

"Tough break, Sai." Yamato said. "I'm going to leave you here with my Moku Bunshin."

"All right. Time to do what we came to do: bring Sasuke back." Naruto said.

"You should give up." Sai said. "I met Sasuke-kun. Orochimaru is always with Sasuke-kun. In other words, you'll have to fight Orochimaru again. If you pursue him, you'll be ripped apart and used for their experiments. Not to mention that Sasuke-kun no longer cares about you."

"That doesn't change anything." Naruto said. "He is a target we must bring back and that's what we'll do."

"Why are you trying so hard for someone like him, even going up against Orochimaru, when he thinks so little of you? You weren't even ordered to do it."

"You seem to think I try so hard because of who he is. You're wrong. I hunt him down just like I would with any other Nuke-nin." Naruto's words shocked Sakura.

"But you said you'd bring him back!" Sakura argued.

"'I'll see what I can do, but I'm certain that things won't be back to normal after this.' That is, word for word, what I said back then. Sasuke willingly left Konoha for Orochimaru. No one gets away from that with just a slap on the wrist." Naruto countered.

Yamato nodded. Being a member of Anbu, he knew that more than most.

"Orochimaru's desire to get Sasuke's body only made this more urgent. If Orochimaru gains the Sharingan for himself, Konoha will be in greater danger. As a shinobi of Konoha, that is something I cannot allow. _That_ is why I'm bringing him back."

Naruto, Sakura and Yamato then sensed danger and immediately jumped back, dodging several kunai. Kabuto landed in front of Sai while facing Team Kakashi.

"And here I thought we had fooled our tracker." Kabuto said. "But you are one of Orochimaru-sama's guinea pigs, so it shouldn't be unexpected."

"You're persistent, Kabuto." Sakura said.

Kabuto looked over his shoulder. "Sai, I see you've been taken prisoner. It doesn't look like you've betrayed us, so I'll trust you for now." He said as he broke Sai's restraints.

He then faced Team Kakashi once more. "You know, I feel sorry for you people. Even if you defeat me, Sasuke won't be coming back with you. He has changed from the boy you knew, like everybody changes."

Before he could say any more, Sai trapped him in an arm-lock.

"What's the meaning of this?" Kabuto demanded. "Your mission was to be the liaison between Orochimaru-sama and Danzo."

"You said that everybody changes. That means I can, too." Sai said.

"Sai, don't let go." Yamato ordered before he restrained Kabuto with a Mokuton Jutsu.

"Where is Sasuke?" Yamato demanded.

Kabuto smirked. "By now, he probably is done with his training and has gone back to his room in the inner area of the base. Even I don't know which room it is. This place has rooms and spaces carved out everywhere. There are more than just one or two inner chambers. Orochimaru-sama's room is there, as well. You better be careful, or you will have a snake jump right at you."

"Well, at least you're honest." Yamato said.

"Oh, I'm not saying this out of the kindness of my heart." Kabuto chuckled.

"So, you think we're walking into a death trap." Yamato realized.

"Exactly."

Yamato then made a wood clone to watch over Kabuto. "I guess we'll see. Let's go."

Team Kakashi, with Sai back, left for the base.

* * *

Eventually, the team had to split up to search for Sasuke. Naruto and Sai looked in each room they ran by before something happened.

They stumbled upon Orochimaru.

"Now then, Sai, whose side are you on?" Orochimaru asked.

"Go on ahead." Naruto told Sai.

"Can you even handle him?" Sai asked.

"More than you." Naruto responded.

Sai then ran away.

"So, you've come to take Sasuke-kun back home?" Orochimaru mocked. "Will things really go as you wish?"

"That's better than letting him become your vessel." Naruto countered as he brandished Muramasa. "There's no way I'll let Konoha become a target to such a threat."

"Such a diligent shinobi." Orochimaru cackled. "However, as much as I would love to test your blade against Kusanagi, I would hate to cut it down and leave you weaker against the Akatsuki. I would really appreciate it if you killed a few more members. But, for now, my business is with Sai." He then disappeared.

Naruto cursed before he ran in the direction Sai went.

Suddenly, an explosion shook the base. Naruto ran to the source and arrived at a part of the base that was destroyed and exposed to the outside. Sai was in the middle of the crater.

"What happened?" He asked as he stepped up to Sai.

"Naruto..." He heard from atop the crater. He turned to the source and saw Sasuke.

Sasuke had grown noticeably taller. He wore a white long-sleeved shirt, which was open at the torso. He also wore dark blue pants with a blue cloth hanging from halfway up his stomach to his knees, as well as black arm guards that protected his forearms and reached his upper biceps. He had a purple rope belt tied around his waist, where a sheathed sword was strapped. His longer hair now looked like a raven's wing rather than a duck's ass.

"So, here you are." Naruto said.

"Sasuke-kun!" He heard Sakura call out as she and Yamato exited the hallway.

"Sakura too?" Sasuke asked. "Yet, I don't see Kakashi."

"My apologies for being his replacement." Yamato said. "But Team Kakashi is taking you back to Konoha."

"By will or by force." Naruto added before he took a step back just as Sasuke appeared before him.

"If you can keep up with this speed, then you haven't been slacking off." Sasuke said as he drew his blade. "That's good, because I've yet to defeat you."

Naruto unsheathed Muramasa and blocked Sasuke's blade.

Sai appeared behind Sasuke with his tipless tanto in hand, while Yamato was about to restrain Sasuke with wood.

"Chidori Nagashi!" Sasuke called out as lightning coursed throughout his body and his surroundings.

Yamato's wood was held back by the lightning and Sai was knocked back. Naruto recoiled slightly, but quickly channelled wind chakra through Muramasa and made a Futon: Rasengan before charging while holding out both wind manipulations before him.

Sasuke's eyes widened as the wind chakra protected Naruto from the lightning chakra. The lightning chakra coursing through him made his body stiff, rendering him unable to dodge the wind sphere he received to the gut, sending him flying backwards and crashing to a wall.

"_Sasuke-kun had a full-body Chidori and Naruto countered it almost immediately."_ Sakura thought, awed.

Sasuke got up and clutched his gut. "That wind affinity of yours is still a pain..."

"Did you think I would hold back against you?" Naruto asked. "Don't be ridiculous. You are a Nuke-nin that cannot be allowed to remain free."

"Strong words." Orochimaru said as he appeared in front of Sasuke, with Kabuto in tow. "But you're not taking him back yet, if ever."

"Out of the way." Sasuke grunted.

"Now, now, Sasuke-kun. You should let them be." Kabuto said. "After all, they can deal with Akatsuki for us, giving you a greater chance to fight Itachi."

"That's a pathetic argument." Sasuke said bluntly.

"True, but you would take this chance, even if the odds increased by 1%, right?" Kabuto countered.

Sasuke was silent for a moment before speaking. "You win again, Naruto, but next time, I _will_ defeat you."

Naruto lowered Muramasa. "We shall see."

The sound trio then disappeared in a Flame Shunshin.

"We failed..." Sakura muttered as tears slowly streamed down her face.

"We still have six months, don't we?" Sai asked. "We will get to him in time."

The others agreed with Sai.

* * *

"I see." Tsunade said as she received Team Kakashi's report upon their return. "Well?"

"We still have time." Naruto said. "Time to prevent Orochimaru from truly gaining the Sharingan."

"Very well." Tsunade nodded. "For now, head home and rest. You'll need it before your next mission."

Team Kakashi nodded before Naruto, Sakura and Sai left the room.

"Did you find out anything about Sai?" Tsunade asked.

Yamato pulled out an envelope. "Just as you predicted, Sai had a secret mission: to be a liaison between Orochimaru and Danzo for a future plan to destroy Konoha. Naruto-kun also found this. I would imagine Danzo gave this to Sai in order to gain Orochimaru's trust."

Tsunade took the envelope and saw the content. "A list of all our Anbu agents!?" She growled. _"These are top-secret! How did he get his hands on these!?"_

"Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked.

Tsunade turned to Shizune. "Go to the file storage area, get new guards and change all the access passwords, immediately!"

"Y-Yes, Ma'am!" Shizune said as she ran out the door.

Tsunade was inwardly cursing. Orochimaru and the Akatsuki were bad enough, but now she'd have to worry about sabotage as well?

What else was on the horizon!?


	12. Chapter 12: Visions and demons

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 12: visions and demons**

One day, Naruto, Sakura, Neji and Lee received a mission: protect and escort a priestess to a shrine in Numa no Kuni. A demon sealed in Oni no Kuni was advancing its ghost army to said shrine, where its body was sealed. They were to take the priestess to the shrine and seal the part of the demon that was released. The team made their preparations and met up at the gate.

"Our mission is the complete protection of the V.I.P." Neji, being the only Jonin and the captain for the mission, said. "Sakura, stay close to the V.I.P. She must immediately be attended to if something happens."

Sakura nodded in compliance.

"Lee, you and Naruto will intercept the enemy should we be attacked."

Lee saluted and Naruto nodded.

"Let's go." Neji said before they all marched to Oni no Kuni.

* * *

When they arrived at their destination, the place was under attack.

Neji used his Byakugan. "Four people are fighting everyone else. Some soldiers are heading for a waking woman, possibly the priestess. The priestess and one of her soldiers escaped through a secret passage. It leads to the waterfall at the back of the temple. One of the enemies is heading for the priestess. I'll deal with him. You three deal with the others." He then left as Naruto, Sakura and Lee jumped toward the battlefield.

The moment they stood in front of them, the enemies retreated. The trio gave chase until all of them opposing shinobi reunited before they all left.

* * *

The next day, the Konoha team sat before the priestess, Shion, in a throne room of sorts.

Shion had light blonde hair, which falls past her waist, and pale lavender eyes. She wore a lavender kimono and a golden crown, with her hair tied back.

"This is the priestess, Shion-sama." Taruho, the soldier by Shion's side, said.

"We are Konoha's Team 7." Neji said. "I am the captain, Neji."

"I am Rock Lee." Lee saluted.

"I am Sakura Haruno." Sakura said.

"And I am Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto finished.

"We are the ones who will escort Shion-sama to the Shrine." Neji informed.

"The attack from last night caused many casualties." Taruho said. "As Shion-sama had foreseen, one of my fellow, Susuki, was one of them."

"And through their sacrifice, I survived the attack, as was predicted." Shion said.

Naruto held back a sigh. Another one who constantly believes in Fate. Neji has been out of that attitude for a long while now, thankfully, but if she legitimately has visions, she's probably even worse than he was back then.

Shion looked at the Konoha team and her gaze stopped at Naruto. She stood up and walked up to him, getting a good look at his face.

"Yes, there is no mistake." She told herself aloud before addressing Naruto. "You are the one from another one of my visions. You will die during this mission."

Sakura was horrified while the others were shocked.

Naruto kept a stoic face. "I'll simply have to do my best to prove your vision wrong, then."

Shion's eyes widened for a moment before she huffed. "The Moryo will pierce your chest. You will not survive this mission."

"That remains to be seen." Naruto said. "If you expect me to cower in fear because of your vision, that won't happen."

Shion huffed once more and left for her quarters.

Taruho bowed. "Please forgive Shion-sama. She often predicts people's deaths like that. But please don't mind it...even if her visions have been 100% accurate."

Sakura and Lee were looking at Naruto worriedly. Neji kept a cool face, but was also concerned.

* * *

Later, Taruho was gathering the soldiers willing to give their lives for Shion's safety. He insisted that they will accompany the Konoha team as Shion's escort.

"I can't believe he's making us wait." Sakura said. "Every second counts. We should be heading to the shrine now!"

"Taruho has always been stubborn." Shion said as she entered the room. She wore a different outfit for the travel. She wore a white top underneath a mustard-yellow jacket as well as red pants. "It's time to leave."

The Konoha team got up and followed Shion out.

They walked away through a secret passage in a waterfall. They left without the soldiers, at Shion's orders.

As the Konoha team travelled by tree-hopping, Shion was complaining that Sakura's back was uncomfortable.

The team landed on the ground after an arrow was shot their way. Taruho appeared before them.

"What's the meaning of this!?" Shion growled.

"No matter the time, my duty is never to be inattentive of Shion-sama." Taruho responded.

"You're just going to be a nuisance!" Shion said bluntly. "Go back to the village!"

"I'm not going back." Taruho said calmly, as if he was used to Shion's attitude.

In the end, the Konoha continued on their way, with Taruho trying his best to keep up.

* * *

The team made camp for the night atop a cliff. Sakura, Lee and Neji were guarding Shion as she slept.

Naruto handed Taruho some rice balls. "Here. You're going to need a lot of energy for tomorrow's run."

Taruho took the rice balls. "Thank you."

Both of them looked at the view the cliff gave them for a moment before Taruho broke the silence.

"It is strange." He started. "Usually, Shion-sama's visions are only about those who serve her closely. Those who have tried to avoid it have failed. But if they would have succeeded, Shion-sama would be dead by now. The people of the village are afraid of having their deaths prophesied and avoid Shion-sama altogether. While I do not know if the visions will continue to be accurate, perhaps it depends on the mindset of those who are prophesied."

The people avoid Shion because of her visions? Humans really are feeble creatures if any different detail makes them changes their minds about anything.

"With the people avoiding her, I can see why her social skills leave much to be desired." Naruto said.

"It is piteous." Taruho said.

Naruto stood up as the sun rose. When he turned around, Shion was standing there, looking at them.

"Taruho." She said.

Taruho stood up and faced Shion. "Yes?"

"Your task is finished. Go back to the village." She calmly ordered.

"I cannot leave Shion-sama's side." Taruho said diligently.

"You're just a hindrance!" Shion said before looking away.

"You had a vision." Taruho said after a moment of silence. "Please be honest."

"When my heart pounds and I hear the bell, I see an image of the future." Shion said. "Last night, I heard the bell and saw your future. If you keep following us, you will die."

"Please explain." Taruho requested.

Shion pulled Taruho away and explained everything.

* * *

Later, Team Kakashi and Shion, still on Sakura's back, travelled through the rocky regions that had multiple waterfalls. Shion was very nervous of the many gaps they jumped over and was not afraid to voice her opinion.

Eventually, they stopped and saw a water dragon aiming straight for them. The team immediately ran up the mountain to escape the Jutsu. When they reached the top, Sakura let Shion down and the team surrounded the priestess.

Neji used his Byakugan to find the enemy. "There are two enemy shinobi atop of the cliff."

The water dragon reached the mountaintop and was about to attack the team, but Naruto used a Kyuubi-enhanced Fuuton: Daitoppa to counter the Jutsu. The impact broke the dragon into rain drops.

"Shion-sama." Neji called out. When the priestess turned to him, he lightly tapped his finger on her forehead, rendering her unconscious.

"Naruto, Lee, distract our attackers while Sakura and I leave the gorge."

Naruto and Lee quickly charged to the top of the cliff. Waiting for them was a large white-haired man and an orange-haired girl. The white-haired man jumped in the air and aimed to punch Lee, who jumped backwards to dodge.

The girl lifted her foot higher than her head. Water was dripping from her foot.

"Suiton: Mizu Kamikiri!" She called out as she slammed her foot on the ground and kicked, making a wave of water that easily sliced through the rocky ground.

Naruto jumped upward to dodge before retreating into the woods.

The girl chased after him, sliding on the water she constantly created with her feet. "Are you trying to use the forest and trees as shields, boy?" She asked mockingly.

Naruto landed on a tree branch and jumped upwards to avoid two more water slicers.

"I see. You think you can escape me by having the higher ground?" She said as she sent more slicers.

Naruto dodged them by jumping to another tree. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" He said as he made dozens of clones, making a large cloud of smoke. When the smoke dissipated and they were about to charge, they saw the girl make a large water sphere.

"Suiton: Suiryuben!" She called out as whips of water shot out of the sphere and attacked the mass of Naruto, destroying most of them.

The girl smirked as the rest of them tried to hide. "Suishu Gorugon!" The sphere of water turned into a dragon with a gaping maw.

Naruto charged into the Jutsu with a Fuuton: Rasengan in hand. The wind sphere easily broke through the water before Naruto turned into smoke when he was pierced by a water spike from behind.

"Bunshin!?" The girl said before she was stabbed from behind.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as the spot he stabbed shifted into water.

"Ninpo: Mizu Kawarimi." The girl said as she turned into a moving pond of water. "Well, I do believe I kept you away from the Byakugan user long enough."

"So you're finally spilling the beans." Naruto said.

"You act as though you knew all along." The girl said as her head, made of water, rose from the pond.

"That's because _four_ of you tried to kill the priestess. Why would I believe that there were only _two_ of you attacking us? The original snuck away when he first made the clones. We were both stalling for time." 'Naruto' said as he dispelled.

* * *

Naruto gained all of his clones' memories as he carried a drunk Lee. He had met up with Lee immediately after the Taijutsu-using Chunin finished his battle with the now-dead white-haired man. Apparently, Lee didn't drink anything. But whenever he tried to explain, he wasn't exactly accurate.

Naruto then caught up with Neji, Sakura and Shion, who were standing over...Shion's body?

"What happened?" Naruto asked as he let Lee down on his feet.

"When we go separated, Taruho appeared before me and used a jutsu to take Shion-sama's appearance. He took Shion-sama's place and sacrificed himself for her." Sakura explained.

So he died by taking Shion's place... Naruto's eyes gained realization before looking at Shion, who was looking away from Taruho. _"So she doesn't predict the future, she predicts her death and has others take her place! She's got some nerves, talking about fate when she's changing it after every vision!"_

* * *

Team Kakashi finished burying Taruho by nightfall.

"Naruto." Neji called out. "We will set up an ambush, for our pursuers. From now on, you will be the one bringing Shion-sama to the shrine."

"But Naruto's death has been predicted." Lee, no longer drunk, said.

"That is precisely why Naruto must go." Neji said. "By making sure Shion-sama seals the Moryo, he will prevent his death."

"So be it." Naruto said as Shion got on his back and they left for the shrine.

* * *

"We're here." Naruto said as he stood several meters away from a stone entrance.

Suddenly, stone soldiers rose from the ground, surrounding the duo.

"The ghost army." Shion said. "If they can move, then the one controlling them must be nearby."

Naruto jumped in the air to dodge a spear.

"Wrap your legs around me, I'm gonna need my arms." Naruto said as Shion did so.

Naruto unsheathed Muramasa and struck at a stone soldier. The katana cleaved right through the stone.

Naruto charged toward the entrance, cutting down every soldier that stood in his way.

Naruto landed right in front of the entrance and let Shion down. He then made some clones that would cut down any stone soldier that would try pursuing them.

"Let's go." Naruto said as he and Shion entered the shrine.

They then arrived in a large area that looked like the inside of a volcano.

"This is where you will die." Shion muttered to Naruto.

"You've grown." They looked at the source of the voice and found a seated man with long black hair. He looked quite weakened, as if something was constantly draining him of his life. "You look so much like Miroku. Let's give the priestess a warm welcome."

Naruto stood in front of Shion as some stone soldiers marched toward them.

"I am Yomi." The black-haired man, Yomi, said. "My ambition was once obstructed by your mother. What happened that day, I remember still. I almost held the Millennium Kingdom in my hands, using Moryo's revival. If it weren't for your mother, the blasted priestess..."

Naruto cut down the soldiers before he and Shion marched toward Yomi, who was seated in front of the seal.

"I have no way of killing you." Yomi admitted. "But you don't have a way to kill me either. That is because we are both originally immortal."

"I won't let your lies confuse me!" Shion said as she stood on the seal.

Naruto looked at Yomi, ready to strike him down if he tried anything.

"Do I even need to trick you?" Yomi asked. "That seal is to combine the two of us. Your mother accepted that choice."

Shion looked at Yomi in shock.

"That's right. Your mother is inside my body! To prevent herself from using the overflowing power wrongly, she split herself into two: her spirit and her consciousness. Each separated, yet longing for the other. Unknowingly, it began naming itself Moryo instead of priestess. There is no 'good and evil' or 'light and darkness' to describe us now."

Shion started using the signs for the seal.

"Hatsu! Jin! Kai!" She said, making the seal light up. She started levitating in the air as the seal made a barrier.

"A barrier, huh?" Yomi said as Shion made more signs.

"Min, Shin, Gan, Reppyou, Shouzen, Mika, Dan, Raku, Shou!" Shion said.

A gate-like platform rose from the seal.

"Fu, Sai, Dan, Gika, Ragu! Bagi!"

Yomi then charged through the barrier, shocking Naruto and scaring Shion.

"**Are you worried, priestess?"** Another voice, the Moryo, asked. **"You should have waited until he couldn't move. Or perhaps your bodyguard lowered his guard when he saw the barrier?"**

Naruto inwardly cursed.

Shion tried to run toward the platform, but a black smoke ripped itself out of Yomi's body. It created a shockwave that sent Shion into the barrier's walls. Yomi's dead body went right through the barrier and fell into the lava.

"**We cannot leave through the barrier, until there is only one of us left. The deciding factor is our combined chakra. Now, return my body to me!"**

The gate-like platform opened and the Moryo went inside it.

"**I should thank you. Yomi couldn't break the Yachiro seal."**

Naruto immediately pulled Shion away from the seal once the barrier went down.

"What have I done?" Shion muttered as tears streamed down her eyes. "What have been doing all this time?"

The ground shook as multiple serpentine heads shot out of the ground.

"**Worry not, little priestess. So long as you have that bell, I can't swallow you. But this is perfect. You shall witness many events, like the world's end and the death of your companion."**

Shion's eyes widened as the Moryo's heads aimed for Naruto, who jumped in the air to dodge.

"So, according to Shion's prediction, this is where I would die, huh?" Naruto asked rhetorically. "Then it's time to change fate."

He immediately activated four tails of Kyuubi's chakra.

Shion was shocked. This wasn't in her vision!

"**One demon against another, Moryo!"** Naruto said as he sent a massive fist at one of Moryo's heads, making it explode.

Two more heads swiped at him, sending him to the ground next to Shion.

"N-Naruto?" Shion said.

"**What's with the worried face?" **Naruto asked. **"I have no intention of dying just yet."**

He then held out a hand and pointed his tails at his hand, focusing the chakra for a Bijuudama. He was surprised when Shion held her bell close to the Bijuudama, giving it the properties of the bell.

"If we combine the two powers, we may be able to defeat Moryo without any sacrifice." Shion said before she used Naruto's own words. "I have no intention of dying just yet. I want to keep on living."

"**Then this 'Mikodama' will save both of our lives."** Naruto said as the sphere was completed.

He jumped high in the air until he was over the Moryo's body and shot the 'Mikodama' at the demon, causing it to wail as it was being completely destroyed.

The whole area started shaking.

"The whole place is coming down!" Shion said.

Naruto landed next to Shion, deactivated the Kyuubi's chakra and grabbed Shion before leaving the shrine.

When they made it out, the shrine had turned into a volcano.

* * *

Eventually, Naruto met up with the rest of Team Kakashi, along with a few others. He then received the memories of his just-now-dispelling clones. Kakashi, Guy, Shikamaru and Temari had joined his clones into holding off the Ghost Army.

"You can put me down, now." Shion said as she had a light blush on her face from being carried bridal style.

Naruto let her down on her feet. "I guess that means your duties as a priestess are over?" He asked.

Shion shook her head. "No, the Ways of the Priestess must continue. The Moryo is a beast made of Human's evil desires. There may be a second Moryo. I won't pay attention to fate, from now on. You taught me that it can be overcome."

Naruto chuckled as the others approached.

"However, my power needs to be passed on to the next generation of priestess." Shion said before she faced Naruto. "Could you help me?"

Everyone, Naruto included, was shocked at her request.

Kakashi cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "There may be a problem with your...request. I am sure that Naruto, like many other orphans, desires a family. If he were to...help you in such a manner, he would want to remain by your side the entire time. But he is hunted down by a group of highly-skilled criminals, making such a thing impossible."

Naruto was inwardly thanking Kakashi for the save.

"I see." Shion said, disappointed, before she turned back to Naruto. "Well, I suppose this give you plenty of time to think about it."

"Y-Yeah." Naruto said awkwardly, unsure of how to answer such a blunt request.

After escorting Shion back to Oni no Kuni, the group returned to Konoha.

* * *

A few days later, Naruto woke up from an odd dream about Kyuubi being unleashed in a temple.

Later, Kakashi requested Naruto to meet him at Training Ground 7.

"All right then." Kakashi said. "When you came back, Jiraiya-sama entrusted your training to me. And I have the perfect one in mind. Yamato told me of Sasuke's Chidori Nagashi. He managed to create his own Jutsu, based on one I taught him. I will help you improve your wind mastery, so that you may do something better than a wind version of the Rasengan."

Suddenly, Yamato appeared next to the duo. "Hello."

"Good timing, Yamato." Kakashi eye-smiled. "How about you make the preparations?"

Yamato nodded before he made some handsigns. "Doton: Doryuu Jouheki!" A large rampart rose from beneath Yamato's feet. "Suiton: Takitsubo no Jutsu!" Yamato called out as he made a huge waterfall on the rampart. He then slammed his hands together and created a wooden platform in front of the waterfall.

"Jiraiya-sama told me that you were easily able to cut a leaf, so we'll take it to the next step: cutting the waterfall. You are going to use your wind chakra to cut the waterfall."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Place your hands on the waterfall and slice it in half using your wind chakra." Yamato explained. "You will need to use a large amount of chakra in an instant. Without that, the waterfall will never be cut."

Naruto took off his trench coat and his shirt. Wouldn't want them getting soaked.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto made enough clones to have the same length as the platform as they stepped on it.

Every Naruto focused wind chakra on their hands.

"Three, two, one!" The original said as they all released the chakra at the same time. The waterfall splashed somewhat.

The clone army continued like this for a few hours, making progress little by little.

"Naruto!" Kakashi called out. "Let's stop here for now. Hokage-sama wants Team Kakashi on a mission."

Naruto sighed and dispelled his clones, gaining their memories and experience. He focused wind chakra on his hand and palmed the waterfall, cutting it for a second. He smirked. He didn't get the training down quite yet, but it was good progress.

* * *

After drying himself and putting his upper body clothes back on, Naruto received the specifics of the mission: Team Kakashi was to meet up with a group of monks from the Fire Temple to hunt down some grave-robbers. Kakashi was needed for another mission, so Yamato would replace him once more.

"Naruto-niichan!" Team Kakashi heard Konohamaru as he and his team, Udon, Moegi and Ebisu, walked up to the older team, with the Sandaime's grandson carrying a cat. "Are you going on a mission?"

"Sure am." Naruto said before he looked at the feline in Konohamaru's hands and the claw marks on the boy's face. "Another run-away cat?"

"Yup. It's the seventh one. We're becoming pros at this!" Konohamaru grinned. "Well, I'm gonna report in."

"We better head out as well." Naruto said, with the others agreeing. Team Kakashi walked out of the village.

* * *

"Yamato-taichou, why would anybody defile a grave?" Sakura asked when the team camped for the night.

"Usually, grave-robbers target the tombs of rich people for the treasures inside." Yamato explained. "In this case, however, the body and the treasures were untouched. This has been happening frequently in a 50 to 60 meter radius of the Fire Temple."

"Why so close?" Naruto asked.

"That's what I hope we will find out. There is definitely more to this mission than meets the eye." Yamato said. "There are actually four hidden tombs in the area."

"Is that what the robbers are after?" Sai asked.

Yamato nodded. "That is a strong possibility."

"How hidden are we talking about?" Sakura asked.

"Even the corpse of a shinobi keeps the information of what they have learned. That information can be valuable and dangerous. Sasori is a very good example."

Sakura's eyes widened. "He turned the Sandaime Kazekage's body into a puppet."

Yamato nodded. "That's right. The more capable a ninja is, the more uses they have. In order to prevent the bodies from being stolen or misused, barriers are created around the tombs and their locations are made secret. That is what I mean by hidden."

This had the team deep in thought. What were these robbers looking for?

* * *

The next evening, they arrived at the rendezvous point.

Yamato looked at the moon to check the time. "The other group should be here shortly." He said.

However, the team never arrived. Yamato and Sakura left to investigate while Sai and Naruto remained at the rendezvous point until the others eventually came back with the Fire Temple's group.

Among them was a young man with shoulder-length, dull blueish-grey hair in an assymetrical style, with a single bang falling in front of his face, a brown eyes. He wore sandals and the standard monk uniform, though his right sleeve was longer than his arm.

"My apologies for the delay." The lead monk apologized. "I am Chiriku of the Fire Temple."

"Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto said.

"I am Sai." Sai followed.

Chiriku nodded before he patted the head of the younger monk, to the latter's ire. "This is Sora, a monk-in-training."

"We don't need any help from Konoha." Sora said.

Suddenly, two other monks appeared and reported that one of the hidden tombs' coffin had been stolen without forced entry. The entire group then marched to the Fire Temple.

* * *

When they stood in front of the temple, Naruto recognized it as the place, in his dream, where the Kyuubi was unleashed. _"Odd."_

"This way." Chiriku said as he guided the Konoha team.

"Welcome back, Chiriku-sama!" The monks of the Temple said at the same time.

"Where is Shubi?" Chiriku asked.

"He is leading a group to the other hidden tombs." One of the monks reported.

"I guess we can relax for now." Chiriku sighed.

"It's too late." Sora said.

"Sora." Chiriku said disapprovingly.

Further away, Sakura leaned closer to Naruto.

"What's with his attitude?" Sakura muttered.

Naruto was about to say something, but noticed the way the monks were glaring at Sora behind his back. It was the exact same glare the civilians of Konoha gave him when he was younger. He narrowed his eyes at that. What was going on?

"I have returned with the team from Konoha." Chiriku said to the elder monk.

Yamato bowed. "I am captain Yamato. With me are Sakura, Sai and Naruto."

"It is reassuring to receive help from Konoha." The elder said.

"We are prepared for action anytime." Yamato said.

"We still have to wait for the news from our monks in the field." Chiriku said. "For now, please follow me."

Team Kakashi followed Chiriku inside the Temple.

"I wonder what the robbers want the stolen body for." Sai said.

"They either want the information within it or use the body itself, like Orochimaru once did." Yamato trailed off. "Though I imagine it will be a different Jutsu."

"How formidable were these monks to be sought out like this?" Naruto asked before he stopped walking, lest he bump into Chiriku.

"They were very powerful and good-hearted people. With the Fire Temple in the middle, the four hidden tombs in the East, West, South and North guard the bodies of Nauma, Seito, Tou'u and Kitane. They were once members of the Twelve ninja Guardians."

"The Fire Daimyo's personal bodyguards?" Naruto asked as the group entered a room and sat down.

Chiriku nodded. "I was young back then, but I was also a member when they were alive."

"So was Asuma-san." Yamato said, shocking Sakura and Naruto.

"If you and Asuma-sensei were once guardians, then this incident must be like your friends' graves being defiled." Sai said.

"The four of them gave their lives far too early." Chiriku said grimly. "A few members of the twelve guardians tried to stage a coup d'état and the resulting clash broke the group apart. Yet the conflict grew from a single wish: 'I want to protect Hi no Kuni'. Our former comrades' plan went as far as moving the Daimyo. They even prepared to attack some of the other countries. They didn't care for the peace between each of the Five Country. All that mattered to them was that Hi no Kuni unite the land under one banner."

"How selfish!" Sakura said.

Chiriku nodded in agreement. "We tried negotiation, but in the end, war is war. The Daimyo realized how far they had taken things and ordered us to kill them, which we did. Asuma and I are the only survivors of that generation of the Twelve Ninja Guardians."

"To think that such a thing happened." Sakura muttered.

They then heard noises outside.

"The men are doing their evening practice." Chiriku explained.

The group walked outside and saw the monks practicing a kata. Naruto saw that Sora was among them. During the spars, he noticed Sora's right hand was bandaged. When the practice was over, everyone was leaving. The older monks were still glaring at Sora.

* * *

Later, a report came from one of the investigating teams. Another one of the Hidden Tombs had been defiled. Team Kakashi, along with Chiriku and Sora, moved to hunt the robbers down.

"Isn't this the opposite direction to where the hidden tombs are?" Yamato asked Chiriku as the group were tree-hopping.

"The thieves are carrying heavy coffins, along with the bodies inside." Chiriku said. "With the Fire Temple at the center, only sheer cliffs lie in the realms of Genbu, Seiryuu and Byakko. The only route left is in Suzaku, the south!"

"I see!" Yamato said.

The group then landed on an open field.

"Over there." Sai pointed toward the open field.

Everyone looked and saw the four coffins.

"Those are definitely their coffins." Chiriku said.

"Why are they in the open like that?" Yamato wondered. "This must be a trap. Chiriku-san, please remain here in case we need to contact the Fire Temple."

"Very well."

"Naruto-kun, Sora-kun, head straight for the coffins. Sakura and Sai will flank from the left while I get the right."

Naruto and Sora jumped down the cliff and charged straight for the coffins.

"I don't need to be paired by with an outsider like you." Sora said.

"I don't care about your needs. I have a mission to do." Naruto countered.

As they got closer, the coffins stood up straight and started spinning like drills before digging themselves underground.

"Their presence completely vanished." Yamato said as the group joined up at the center.

Suddenly, the ground started shaking. The group jumped in the air as several rock pillars rose from the ground in rapid succession.

Naruto and Sora landed in a newly-made canyon.

"Looks like the robbers set off their trap." Sora commented.

"A ridiculously large trap." Naruto added dryly.

He then noticed Sakura and jumped toward her, with Sora following him since he didn't see any other alternatives.

"You got split up from Sai?" Naruto asked.

Sakura nodded. "I also saw Yamato-Taicho being engulfed as well. The enemy must be powerful to manipulate the land in such a manner."

"Wasn't there a valley just now?" Sora asked as the duo looked around.

The seemingly bottomless canyon had turned into a cave without them noticing.

"A Genjutsu?" Naruto wondered as he kicked a pebble on what was originally a pit. The pebble hit the ground. "How the hell-"

He couldn't finish his thought as a hole appeared beneath his feet, causing him to fall to a lower level.

Naruto immediately landed on his feet and looked up to see the hole he fell through had disappeared.

"The enemy sure knows how to split us up." He said. "Oh well, I won't accomplish anything by standing around."

He walked around until there was a fork in the road. He jumped back just in time to avoid falling in another hole.

The cave then started to shake. There was a boulder aimed straight at him.

Naruto scoffed. "Is that it?" He unsheathed Muramasa and split the boulder in half before it could crush him.

"Well, Fuen's traps never were imaginative." He turned to the direction of the voice and saw a woman walking on the ceiling. At least, she was on the ceiling until the trap changed forms once more and made _him_ stand on the ceiling.

She was a fairly tall woman with fair skin, waist-length wavy maroon hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a dark-pink, shoulderless gi-like shirt with loose arm warmers reaching her upper arms and light-purple spandex-shorts. She also wore black low-heeled boots with an olive-green tipping.

"Take a good look, handsome, this will be the last time we meet." She said with a seductive undertone.

"At least we agree on something." Naruto said as he landed on the ground. Suddenly, the woman appeared next to him and licked his cheek.

Naruto jumped away from her. "You act like this with everyone you face, vixen?" He asked.

She chuckled at the nickname. "Those who are worth my time, at least." She answered before she licked her lips. "The chakra leaking from you tastes quite good. You're a wind user, aren't you?"

"And if I am?"

"How about you join my collection?" She asked.

"A grave-robber asking me to join her collection... Not sure how I feel about that." Naruto taunted.

The woman chuckled. "_They_ are not part of my collection. But _you_ will be. French or soft kiss?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed. _"She figured out my chakra nature from licking my cheek and now she's asking for a kiss? I'm facing a human succubus. Human...this could work."_ He inwardly smirked before he answered. "French would be nice for my first kiss."

The woman smiled. "Oh you poor man, I can't see why a woman wouldn't indulge herself with you." She said as she walked toward him with a sway on her hips. She placed her hands on his cheeks, lightly tracing his whisker marks with her thumbs. "Don't you worry; Fuka-chan will make everything better."

She leaned closer to Naruto. "Shikei Seppun." She whispered before kissing him. As per his request, she ran her tongue alongside his. Her eyes opened wide as she felt searing pain before she pulled away and fell on her knees, coughing. "This evil chakra... What have you done to me!?"

Naruto smiled. "Me? I didn't do anything. It seems my Bijuu tenant doesn't want me to die just yet." He said, since he focused Kyuubi's chakra on the kiss to corrode her and it worked like a charm. He then used Muramasa to cut her open from her navel to the left side of her neck. Fuka limply fell on her back. "Thanks for the kiss, by the way. Your lips were nice and soft." He began walking away...

Why hadn't her soul-

"Not so fast."

He promptly turned back to her when he heard her voice. Here she was, perfectly fine as if nothing happened. He did notice the sudden pile of dust behind her.

"This trickery has made me mad." Fuka said, despite the fact that she was still smiling, before she made some handsigns. "Suiton: Ja no Kuchi!"

A large torrent of water with the head of a snake charged toward Naruto and tried to swallow him. The moment he was in the snake's mouth, Naruto used his wind training on the waterfall to cut through the snake, giving him an open path to a wall that he climb on to stay away from the water. Water emerged from the wall he was on, making him fall to the large pool of water. He stood on the water with the Undine soul.

Fuka made more handsigns. "Raiton: Jibashi!" She said as lightning crackled from her hands and started coursing through the water.

Naruto inwardly cursed. "Fuuton: Rasengan!" He said as he slammed the wind sphere in the water beneath, making it splash. The wind chakra's sheer power also protected him from the lightning Jutsu.

Fuka licked her lips. "Such a powerful Jutsu. You make me want your wind chakra even more." She then made more handsigns as petal spiralled around her "Fuuton: Hana Chiri Mai."

Naruto was suddenly hit by a tornado of petals and smashed into a hole in the wall made by the tornado.

Naruto grunted as he sat up. "That...was not pleasant in the least."

Fuka chuckled. "Don't worry. Soon, I'll make the pain go away."

A ball of wind appeared before her lips before she launched it at Naruto, who jumped to side to dodge it and the multiple ones shot afterwards.

"You can't dodge forever." Fuka said. "You will learn all the secrets of my lovely body!"

Before Naruto could retort, Fuka had appeared before him and had reused Suiton: Ja no Kuchi. This time, Naruto jumped to a higher platform to avoid the water.

He turned around when he heard Fuka's chuckles behind him. As she was about to reuse Raiton: Jibashi, she was slammed against the wall by Naruto's Fuuton: Daitoppa.

"Well, it's been fun." Naruto said. "But I have to find my teammates. Perhaps we will meet again." He blew her a kiss before jumping to another platform and walking in another cave.

Fuka licked her lips. "So, you know at least two fuuton Jutsu. I am _not_ letting you get away."

* * *

As Naruto stepped into another open area of the cave, he was slammed into a wall by a tornado of petals.

"Damn it, vixen, when you want something, you're not letting it go!" Naruto remarked as he focused Kyuubi chakra in his throat and let out a roar, overwhelming the Wind Jutsu.

Fuka protected her eyes from the dust before she uncovered them. Her eyes widened as she managed to step back just enough dodge a swing of Muramasa.

But the katana cut a small lock of hair.

Fuka's body aged tremendously before turning into dust, shocking Naruto.

"How dare you...?" He turned around and saw Fuka, lacking any playfulness in her tone and on her face. "How dare you kill me?"

"Kill you?" Naruto asked before his eyes widened. "You collect bodies to use them as vessels..."

"You are as sharp as that accursed blade of yours." Fuka said before she grabbed the strand of hair that was shortened by Muramasa. "You'll make women weep if you cut their hair like you did. Do you know how many years it took me to grow my hair this long?"

"_How odd that her hair retained the damage, even with a new body."_ Naruto thought. _"I do believe I have found her weakness."_

"A woman's hair is her life." Fuka said.

"_Did she just tell me that her very soul resides in her hair?"_ Naruto wondered. Considering she uses multiple bodies and her hair keeps the damage done to it, it was a fair assumption.

Fuka walked toward Naruto with a purpose. "You have weakened my life force and now you'll pay the price!" Her face became demented and her hair started flowing irregularly. She practically looked like a human Medusa.

Suddenly, Naruto couldn't move. He had been paralysed and was ripe for the kissing! She really is a human-like Medusa-succubus!

Her features relaxed as she kept walking toward him. "Let us have a nice hot kiss. I _will_ be taking your soul as payment for my hair, however."

Naruto remained calm. It seems she hadn't learned her lesson. It didn't bother him. One: it made his job easier. Two: He gets to kiss a gorgeous woman.

The real Dracula _probably_ wouldn't let himself get tempted by the pleasure of flesh, but the Doppelganger came to terms with the fact that he had to go through the damned puberty.

Fuka held Naruto's face like she did previously. "At least enjoy it while you can. Shikei Seppun." She gave him another French kiss.

"Naruto! What the hell are you doing!?" He heard Sakura call out to him. He turned his eyes to a platform above and saw an indignant pinkette, Sai, who had his right arm in a sling, and Yamato.

Pillars of rock surrounded the newly-arrived trio and trapped them.

A woman with black hair and a man with bear-like stature appeared behind Fuka.

"You will not interfere." The woman said.

Fuka pushed Naruto away and fell to her knees, coughing due to absorbing some of Kyuubi's chakra, more than last time. That shocked her reinforcements.

Suddenly, a nearby wall was smashed. Out of it came Sora with an unbandaged right arm.

"I have a kaimyo ready for all three of you!" He claimed.

"_Nicknames for the dead. He certainly is imaginative."_ Naruto thought.

Sora stood between Naruto and the trio. "I came to save you." He said.

"I've been handling the redhead by myself just fine." Naruto shrugged as he stood next to Sora. "But I'll definitely take the help now that there are three of them. Thanks."

"Didn't you call out to me?" Sora asked.

"I have not. But now that you're here, I certainly won't complain." Naruto said, reminding himself to remember Sora's question for later.

Fuka's allies changed positions and the trio surrounded them in a triangle position.

"Looks like we've gotta fight." Sora said as he and Naruto were back to back.

Naruto smirked. "The three of them against the two of us... How unfortunate for them."

"They will need help, all right." Sora boasted.

The five of them had to jump away as the ceiling almost came down on their heads.

"Sorry for the delay!" Everyone looked up the hole and saw Fire Temple monks, with Chiriku at the head of the group. "Help has arrived!"

"Wouldn't you say it's time to retreat?" The black-haired woman asked Fuka and the man.

"Yeah. It looks like we bought enough time." Fuka said with a smile.

The trio looked up and saw a white-haired man with a monk staff. They jumped up to him before disappearing.

* * *

Upon, returning to the Fire Temple, Yamato requested to Chiriku that Sora came to Konoha with Team Kakashi.

"Considering what happened, we have to return to Konoha, report to Hokage-sama and wait for new orders." Yamato said. "With what we went through, our team will surely be the one to continue this mission. How about it, Sora-kun? Will you lend us a hand? We will need someone to assist us until Sai recovers from his injury."

"Personally, I think seeing the outside world would be good training for you, but it's your decision, Sora." Chiriku said.

Sora was deep in thought until he made his decision.

* * *

The next day, Team Kakashi arrived back in Konoha. Yamato left to give his report to the Hokage while the team, including Sora, were waiting outside the office. When Yamato entered the office, Asuma left it.

When Sora glanced at Asuma, he saw that he was wearing the Twelve Ninja Guardians waist-sash.

Sakura turned to Sora. "Do remember to behave before Tsunade-sama."

Sora waved her off. "Whether she's the Hokage or an old hag, she doesn't scare me."

"Naruto, Sakura, bring Sora in!" Yamato called out from within the office.

Sakura dragged Sora by the arm as the team entered the office.

And Tsunade immediately punched Sora out of the office.

"Who are you calling an old hag!?" She demanded as she approached him and was about to punch him again.

"I said that as a Bodhisattva!" Sora said fearfully. Tsunade punched the wall next to him.

"_Nice save."_ Naruto thought.

"Well, aren't you a cute little monk?" Tsunade said jovially as she dusted Sora off before dragging him back in the office, making him panic.

After giving their full report, the team split up for their break. Yamato had to write the report. Sakura took Sai to the hospital. Leaving Naruto to show Sora around the village.

* * *

Eventually, they stumbled upon Akamaru, who started growling at Sora.

"You wanna fight, you mangy mutt?" Sora said as he looked at Akamaru straight in the eyes.

"Yo, Naruto." Kiba greeted as he stepped next to Naruto. He then saw the conflict. "Who's that guy?"

"A monk from the Fire Temple." Naruto answered. "You mind asking Akamaru why he's growling at Sora like that?"

Kiba nodded and approached the growling duo. "Oi, Akamaru, what's the deal with that guy?"

Sora turned to Kiba. "You're the mutt's owner? You should keep him on a leash and train him not to growl."

Naruto sweatdropped. Sora really loved making enemies with everyone around him, didn't he?

Kiba cracked his knuckles. "Akamaru isn't a pet."

At that moment, Choji and Shikamaru walked down some nearby stairs. "Calm down, everyone, we should all try to get along-" Choji started, but was interrupted by Sora.

"Beat it, fatty."

Naruto facepalmed as Choji dropped his bag of chips.

"Did you just call me fatty?" Choji asked menacingly.

Sora chuckled. "Time for a Battle Royale!"

"You're on your own, dumbass!" Kiba said as he, Akamaru and Choji charged toward the monk, who started frantically dodging their attacks.

"Aren't you going to help him?" Shikamaru asked Naruto.

"I'll help him as much as I helped him when he called Hokage-sama an old hag." Naruto shrugged.

Shikamaru sighed. "This troublesome guy really loves trouble, doesn't he?"

"Neither of you seemed the type to join in, anyway." They turned to the voice and saw Asuma.

"There's one more who will join in." Shikamaru said as he looked toward the sunset. Lee was hopping on the rooftops and was headed in their direction.

Naruto sighed as Lee joined the fight. The monk had just arrived and already he was causing a lot of mayhem!

"This could go on forever." Shikamaru sighed.

"Not anymore it's not." Naruto said as the entire group was about to use their Jutsu. Before that could happen, they were all restrained by Naruto's Chakra Chains.

Asuma bopped each of them on their heads, to their embarrassment.

"Well, how about some barbecue, now that you're done fighting?" Asuma offered.

Everyone, minus Naruto, Sora and Shikamaru, were cheering.

* * *

Surprisingly enough, Asuma could afford paying for them all.

"How's Chiriku doing?" Asuma asked Sora. "He really toughened you up."

"Chiriku-sama is an important figure of the temple, so I had to train myself." Sora said.

"That so? You are as you are only because of yourself?" Asuma asked.

"If you know Chiriku-sama, then you must have known my father." Sora said.

Asuma became deep in thought at the question.

**Flashback**

_A younger Asuma and Chiriku stood in front of a pile of corpses. A brown-haired man emerged from the pile and glared at the duo. Asuma charged, his trench knives in hand._

"_ASUMA!" The man called out._

"_KAZUMA!" Asuma yelled back as he struck Kazuma right in the face._

**Flashback end**

"Kazuma died for his beliefs." Asuma sighed. "No matter what happened, he died fighting for what he believed in."

Sora was deep in thought the entire time everyone ate barbecue.

* * *

The next day, Naruto, Sakura and Sora met up with Yamato at Training Ground 7.

"While Sai is recovering, Sora-kun will be a member of our team." Yamato said. "Therefore, it's back to team formations."

Naruto held back a sigh. He wanted to get back to his wind training, but something told him Yamato wasn't going to budge.

They heard a laugh above them. They looked up and saw Asuma.

"You want to teach them formation?" Asuma asked. "Naruto and Sakura already work together quite well, whereas Sora acts before he thinks."

Yamato sighed. "I don't disagree with you, but..."

Asuma landed next to Yamato. "You can't get him to learn formations so suddenly. Partner him with Naruto, who is the more patient between him and Sakura, before trying anything, at least for a while."

"You're right." Yamato relented. "Well then, how about you supervise Naruto's wind training?"

Asuma and Sora looked at Naruto in shock. "You're a wind user?" Asuma asked.

"I found out when Jiraiya taught me the Rasengan." Naruto shrugged. "I'm surprised you didn't know, being friends with Kakashi-sensei."

Asuma also shrugged. "We do talk about our students, but never in details."

* * *

So, Asuma tested Sora and Naruto's wind natures by having them throw a wind chakra-coated kunai at a tree. Sora's kunai embedded itself on the tree while making a scar mark on the tree. Naruto's kunai embedded itself on the tree while barely breaking the bark.

"Not bad. Such powerful throws without a chakra blade." Asuma praised as he retrieved the kunai.

"Ah, mine is much bigger!" Sora said proudly.

"So it is." Naruto agreed.

"Now watch me carefully." Asuma said as he coated a kunai with his wind chakra and threw it.

When his kunai stuck itself to the tree, it barely broke the bark, just like Naruto's, maybe even less.

"Wind chakra is all about precision. It requires a lot of focus to be used at its maximum capacity. You have to focus on your chakra being thin and sharp. The larger the hole, the more your thoughts are swayed into another form."

Sora slumped slightly, but went back to throwing the chakra-coated kunai. He was slowly making progress.

"It's not about _how_ you throw the kunai, it's how you _imagine_ the wind in your mind." Asuma informed.

"Right!" Sora said as he went straight back to training.

Asuma turned to Naruto. "You did quite well."

Naruto shrugged. "Kage Bunshin."

"Ah, of course." Asuma nodded before he looked up to the sky. "All right, it's getting dark. Let's stop here and get back to it tomorrow."

Sora turned to Asuma. "Tomorrow?" He asked eagerly before he started cheering.

"You walked right into that one." Naruto chuckled.

Asuma sighed and facepalmed. "I did."

* * *

The next day was uneventful for Naruto, as he did not join the training. When he went to check up on them during the evening, Sora was by himself. But there was something different about him. He was angrier and more aggressive than usual. In a sudden burst of anger, Sora threw a kunai that pierced right through the tree and destroyed the rock behind it.

* * *

The day after that, in the middle of the day, there was an explosion at the Hokage Tower. Naruto rushed toward it as did many shinobi.

When he arrived on the scene, Sora was on the ground with Asuma standing over him. When a swarm of shuriken were aimed at Sora, Naruto appeared next to Sora and deflected them all.

"Naruto?" Sora asked.

Naruto looked at Asuma. "What the hell is going on?"

Tsunade, Shizune and Yamato got out of the large hole in the Hokage Tower.

Sora glared at Asuma. "Your comrade, my father... You betrayed him! I will have my revenge!" He said before he disappeared in a massive gust of wind.

Naruto sighed before he turned to Tsunade. "Mind filling me in?"

"Sora was enraged because he thought we were going to kill him." Shizune said.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Why would he think such a thing?"

"Because of his mysterious power." Yamato said. "A power that destroyed the Fire Temple ten years ago."

Naruto's eyes widened. "The Fire Temple?"

"Is something the matter, Naruto?" Tsunade asked.

Naruto shook his head. "I've just realized something. The night before you gave Team Kakashi its last mission, I had a dream. A dream where Kyuubi was unleashed at the Fire Temple."

Everyone's eyes widened at that.

"Then, when we were ambushed by the grave-robbers, one of them tried to absorb my chakra, but I was able to escape by forcing her to absorb a bit of Kyuubi's chakra. After that, Sora came to my rescue, saying I had 'called out' to him. All of this, along with what you told me, points to the fact that Sora may have some of Kyuubi's chakra sealed within him."

"But the Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi within you." Tsunade countered. "How could this be possible?"

Naruto shook his head, signalling his lack of answer.

* * *

Later, Tsunade ordered everyone to search the village to find Sora. But there was no result. That night, however, Naruto felt Sora use Kyuubi's chakra. And he could feel his intent to harm Tsunade, through Kyuubi's chakra. Luckily, he was closer to the Hokage Tower than Sora was.

He entered the Tower and rushed into the office. He pushed a surprised Tsunade away from the window, where an enraged Sora emerged.

"That was close." Naruto commented before he turned to Sora.

Sora tried to attack Tsunade with his demonic right arm, but Naruto caught it by focusing Kyuubi's chakra on his arms.

Sora clutched his right and let out a cry of pain before Naruto threw him out of the tower by the very window he broke.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune called out as she and a couple of Anbu entered the room.

"Protect the Hokage!" Naruto ordered before he chased after Sora.

* * *

Eventually, Sora stopped running, brought out his claw weapon and charged towards Naruto, who blocked his attacks with Muramasa.

"Why did you attack the Hokage?" Naruto demanded.

"This isn't any of your business!" Sora growled.

"As a Shinobi of Konoha, it is my business."

Suddenly, four gate-like statues appeared around the village and created a dome around the village.

"An invasion?" Naruto wondered.

"They're here." Sora said before he ran away.

Naruto immediately gave chase. When he caught up, they clashed weapons.

"I finally caught up to you." They both jumped away as they heard Asuma's voice.

"Asuma!" Sora roared.

"Why attack the Hokage when your revenge should be against me?" Asuma asked.

"I simply copied you! I will kill the king that you decided to follow!" Sora claimed.

"King?" Asuma asked. "You refer to Hokage-sama as a king. I see. It all makes sense now. The grave robbers stole Four Lightning Masters' tombs to destroy the entire village with their devastating lighting technique."

"W-What...?" Sora asked. "I-I thought you and the Hokage would be the only victim!" He said before he ran away.

"Naruto, please go after him." Asuma said. "I have something important to take care of."

Naruto gave chase without saying a word.

* * *

However, when he almost caught up to Sora, a familiar figure appeared before him.

"Hello again." Fuka greeted.

"Ah, Fuka-chan. Have you come to kiss me goodnight?" Naruto asked.

Fuka smiled as she made some handsigns. "Of course. And I'll make sure this kiss is a long one. Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!"

Naruto jumped to the side to dodge the multitude of fireballs.

"Suiton: Ja no Kuchi!"

Water emerged from a nearby rooftop's water supplies, turned into a snake head and aimed for Naruto.

Naruto tried to avoid it, but was washed down the roof. He clung to the edge and tried to pull himself back up, but Fuka was already before him.

"Raiton: Jibashi!" She said as she sent lightning through the water, electrocuting him and making him fall to a lower roof.

Fuka chuckled as she jumped down to his level. "Everyone's going to be burned to a crisp. Just let me kiss you and prevent you from feeling the pain of loss."

"You're definitely more aggressive than last time." Naruto grunted as he got up. "Are you still mad at me for cutting your hair?"

Fuka scowled. "Raiton: Jibashi!" She said as she electrocuted him once more, making him fall to the edge of the roof. "Time for my kiss. Everything will be fine, once you give me your body. Furido told me not to kill you." Fuka said as she placed a foot on Naruto and held a hand to the sky. "But...your chakra is just too tempting! Raiton: Hiraishin!" Lightning crackled from her higher hand to her feet, electrocuting Naruto and bringing him down the roof.

But, he clung to a lower floor and jumped back up to the roof.

"I'm done playing around." Naruto said.

"Then I'll finish this now!" Fuka said as she focused lightning on her fist and went to punch Naruto, only for him to block the fist with a wind-coated Muramasa.

"Predators like you take too long playing with their 'food'." Naruto said. "I grew bored of playing along."

He punched her in the gut with his free hand, making her double over, before slamming a Rasengan on her back, making her crash inside the empty building.

Naruto jumped inside the building and kept his gaze on Fuka.

"I let you have your fun for a while, but the moment I counterattack, you're on the ground?" Naruto asked.

Fuka got up, her clothes dirtied by dust.

"How dare you harm me in such a way!?" Fuka said as she pulled out some cloth from her sleeves and started spinning around. "Shiki Tenshin!" Suddenly, she was uninjured and her clothes were clean.

"You changed bodies." Naruto said.

"Suiton: Ja no Kuchi!" She said as a wave of water aimed for Naruto. "Doton: Doro Houshi!" The water became brown and muddy.

"Fuuton: Rasengan!" Naruto slammed the wind sphere on the floor just as the wave of water was before him. Fuka covered her eyes as it made a huge splash. Suddenly, she was stabbed through the gut.

"One less body to worry about." Naruto said as he bisected her, making the body turn to dust. As her hair floated in the air, another body took the place of the last one.

"I can't allow anyone who knows my secret to live." Fuka said. "You've destroyed three of my bodies since we've met. Your body better be good, because I'm taking it as compensation."

"Dream on, vixen, this body of mine is more important than you can imagine." Naruto said.

"I look forward to finding out what you mean when I take it for myself." Fuka said before Naruto appeared before her and held her by the neck.

Naruto slammed his foot on the floor, making the muddy water fly in the air before turning into ice needles, pointing at the duo.

"Hyoton: Sensatsu Suisho!" Naruto said as the needles charged.

At the last second, Naruto used Chronomage to stop time and left the spot, leaving Fuka as the sole victim once time started back up.

"Y-You're a Hyoton user!?" Fuka asked as her body turned to dust before switching to another. The ice needles suddenly melted. He did not want to leave tracks.

"And within your chakra lies the knowledge of Jutsu from the five basic elements." Naruto said before three mechanical tentacles appeared on his back. "I will add you to my collection, like you wanted to add me to yours." The tentacles shot lasers at Fuka.

Fuka jumped to the side to avoid the lasers, but she was electrocuted by lightning shot from Naruto's fingers. He continued to do so until her body turned to dust. This time, her hair remained floating, with two glowing yellow eyes.

"These powers... Why didn't you use them during our last encounter if you could defeat me so easily!?" Fuka demanded.

Naruto smirked. "Because your ambush was unknown and random to me. This time, however, you ambushed me somewhere you knew nobody, not even your allies, would disturb us."

Fuka's eyes widened in fear.

"Don't worry, little succubus. Your soul will be a fine addition to my arsenal. You will become part of something greater than the Elemental Countries. Soul Steal!" Fuka wailed in pain as her soul was absorbed by Naruto.

Naruto chuckled as the Legion Soul disappeared. "I suppose I have to catch up to Sora, now."

He jumped out of the building and went to the forest, where he saw Sora run to before Fuka stopped him.

* * *

Suddenly, a pillar of Kyuubi's chakra appeared in the middle of the forest.

He rushed an arrived in a destroyed part of the forest, with Asuma landing next to him. Sora was glowing with Kyuubi's chakra. The white-haired man was next to Sora.

"That's it, Sora!" The white-haired man said. "Curse them, hate them! Turn your rage into power! We will crush Konoha! We'll kill every last one of them!"

"G-Go to hell!" Sora said as he struggled for control. "I wasn't born to do this!"

"Yes you were! Everything exists to serve the true ruler of Hi no Kuni. He needs your power now, Sora!"

"It really is you..." Asuma muttered.

"How does Sora have Kyuubi's chakra within him!?" Naruto demanded.

"The Kyuubi leaked out a lot of chakra when it attacked Konoha, 15 years ago. I gathered it and sealed it within Sora, five years later."

Sora roared as the Kyuubi's chakra was getting stronger. He clutched his right arm, which had turned demonic and had ripped through the bandages and the sleeve.

Naruto rushed forward, focused Kyuubi's chakra on his arms and grabbed Sora's shoulders. "Get a grip on yourself!"

Sora's eyes opened wide. "T-The pain's going away!"

Everyone's eyes widened when the chakra Sora leaked was going into Naruto.

"No!" The white-haired man exclaimed. "With his seal completely released, the real Kyuubi is absorbing the chakra!" He pulled out his monk staff and charged toward the duo.

Asuma pulled out his trench knives and stood in his way. "I'll be your opponent, Kazuma."

"Bear with me, Sora. If it doesn't hurt you, then I can pull it all out without killing you." Naruto said. He wondered if the Power of Dominance, along with Kyuubi's chakra, was what made him able to absorb Sora's Kyuubi chakra. Whatever the case, it was a win-win situation.

"Y-Yeah." Sora said. "Maybe then, everyone in the temple will stop glaring at me, if this power is no longer within me."

"What about your revenge?" Naruto asked.

"Furido is an even greater traitor than he told me Asuma was. My father wouldn't want simple villagers to be killed."

"Naruto!" He heard Sakura call out to him, but didn't turn to look. He had to focus on Sora. He had already absorbed a tail's worth of chakra.

Team Asuma, as well as Kiba, Akamaru, Yamato and Lee also arrived on the scene.

"N-Naruto..." Sora said. "If the real Kyuubi is sealed within you, then why do you have so many friends?"

"I got lucky." Naruto admitted. "My status was never revealed to the younger generation, allowing them to see me with almost unprejudiced eyes. While most adults told their kids to stay away from me, I became friends with the kids of those who didn't trash talk me."

"When this power is gone, will I have a chance?" Sora asked.

"Definitely." Naruto said. "Not to mention the friends you've made here, through little squabbles."

The 'Battle Royale' came to Sora's mind. "That counts as making friends?"

Naruto shrugged. "Everyone is weird in their own way."

Two tails down...

"Is Naruto going to be okay?" Ino asked worriedly.

"This is like what happened back at Hoshigakure." Lee said. When the younger group of shinobi turned to him in confusion, he continued. "When we went on that mission, the star enhanced the Kyuubi's chakra. Godaime-sama was very worried for Naruto-kun, but he was perfectly fine. Neither Naruto-kun nor Sora-kun appear to be in pain, so I believe we don't need to worry."

Three tails...

"Yamato-taichou, what is happening?" Sakura asked.

"This is just a theory, but I don't think Sora's body can handle Kyuubi's chakra. All the chakra built up within him is trying to leave his body. Naruto's physical contact as he protects himself with Kyuubi's chakra must attract it. All of Sora's Kyuubi chakra is entering Naruto's body and merging with the real Kyuubi." Yamato said.

Asuma and Sai, who had appeared as Asuma's reinforcement after leaving the hospital, returned to the destroyed part of the forest after chasing and killing Kazuma.

Four!

When no more shroud was covering Sora, Naruto let go of him. Sora was panting. Even if the process was mostly painless, it was still very exhausting to lose what was once the largest part of your stamina.

"You all right?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah..." Sora panted. "I'm gonna need to rest though. I'm tired..."

"Naruto! Sora!" Sakura called out as everyone approached the duo.

"Yo." Naruto greeted.

"Everyone..." Sora said, surprised.

"What did I tell you?" Naruto smirked. "You already got friends here."

Sora looked up to the dawning sky. "Friends, huh?"

* * *

The next day, Sora left the village to travel the world, saying he wanted to meet new people.


	13. Chapter 13: Immortal duo and a turtle

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 13: The Immortal duo and a Turtle**

Naruto and Sakura visited Sai at the hospital. At the same time, Kakashi had just returned from his mission and was told that his team was at the hospital. When he joined them, they gave him a rundown of the latest events.

"Sounds like a lot happened." Kakashi commented before he turned to Naruto. "What about you? You basically absorbed a second Kyuubi, albeit nowhere near as powerful."

Naruto shrugged. "It merged with the real deal, so I still have only one to worry about."

Kakashi nodded, accepting the reasoning.

At that moment, Asuma entered the room. "So this is where you were. Can I have a word with you, Kakashi?"

"Sure." Kakashi said as he left the room with Asuma, not before Asuma dropped off a basket of apples for Sai.

* * *

**Meanwhile, in Kaminari no Kuni**

"It's been half an hour." A man with a facemask and an Akatsuki cloak said. "Are you done yet, Hidan!?"

"Fuck you, Kakuzu! Don't mess with the ritual!" Hidan, a guy with slicked-back silver hair and purple eyes, growled before he pulled out his retractable spear from his gut and stood up.

"You do this Jashin sacrifice thing every time." Kakuzu said as he looked at a map of the Elemental Countries. "Can't you skip it every once in a while?"

"I don't like doing it either, but it is part of my religion, I have to!" Hidan insisted. "And skipping it? That's blasphemy against Jashin-sama!"

"Whatever, we have one more to chase. We'll head for Hi no Kuni when Souma arrives."

"Which is right now." Kakuzu heard behind him. Souma, now wearing the Akatsuki cloak along with his usual cloak, mask and hood, walked past Kakuzu and looked at the bloodied body of the Nibi Jinchuuriki. "Holy shit. You guys didn't hold back."

"Blame Hidan's Jashin ritual after we knocked her out, that's why she's still bleeding." Kakuzu shrugged.

"Shut the fuck up, Kakuzu!" Hidan said angrily. "Your damn side jobs are the reason it took us so long to find our Jinchuuriki!"

"Bounty Hunting is legitimate work." Souma said as he broke the Jinchuuriki's neck, taking her soul and the Nibi. "It's hard work and it's paying work."

"Hear, hear." Kakuzu said. "I'm also the one who handles Akatsuki's finances, so try putting yourself in my shoes for a minute."

"He's too impatient to last that long." Souma chuckled. "Well, time for me to go. I have a cat to deliver." He said as he walked away.

"That masked bastard really is making Akatsuki's job easy, isn't he?" Hidan asked once Souma was gone.

"He is, and I respect him for it." Kakuzu said. "Time is money, and his Power of Dominance is saving us a lot of time."

Hidan sighed. "It's always about money with you."

"It's always about Jashin with you." Kakuzu countered as he walked away, with a cursing Hidan following him.

* * *

**Back in Konoha**

Naruto, overseen by Kakashi and Yamato, continued the waterfall training in Training Ground 7. It was going quite fine, considering they were able to cut the waterfall for a second. That night, Kakashi estimated that Naruto might be done the next day.

"Naruto!" Kakashi called out in the middle of the second day. "Dispel your clones and take a break for now."

Naruto sighed as he did so. He was almost there. This training really is on a whole other level. Kakashi appeared next to him with a basket. "What's this?" Naruto asked.

"A gift from Sakura. Inside it are soldier pills and a note from her." Kakashi answered.

Naruto took the basket and read the note.

"These are my special Sakura soldier pills. Eat them and keep training hard. Sakura."

"All right then, let's try one right now." Naruto said as he popped one of the pills in his mouth. It tasted so bad he spat it out.

A few hours later, Naruto was on one knee, panting.

"Take a break, Naruto. You're exhausted." Kakashi said.

Naruto smirked. He palmed the waterfall and released his chakra. His section of the waterfall was perfectly cut.

Yamato and Kakashi's eyes widened.

"This training is supposed to be something else entirely, compared to the normal training." Yamato said. "And yet he did it in two days."

"Naruto himself was always something else entirely." Kakashi said as called out to Naruto. "Good job, Naruto! It's now time for you to create your own Jutsu!"

Naruto panted. "I'll just take a breather first." He said.

"How about we go grab a bite to eat, then?" Kakashi offered.

With that, the trio went to a restaurant.

"There's something I want to tell you, Naruto." Kakashi said.

Naruto swallowed his food and turned to Kakashi.

"What you are about to do is easily the hardest part of your training. Yondaime-sensei created an A-rank Jutsu through Shape Manipulation alone, yet not even he could apply an elemental affinity to his Jutsu. How you were able to do it with the leaf cutting training alone baffles me to this day. However, Fuuton: Rasengan is still a high A-rank Jutsu. If you improve on it, you may very well create an S-rank Jutsu, if not higher. Creating that Jutsu is something you will have to do on your own."

Naruto smirked. "That's a lot of words for 'I can't help you, do it yourself.'" He joked.

Kakashi eye-smiled. "You'll manage. I believe you're the only one who can surpass the Yondaime Hokage."

Naruto looked at Kakashi in shock.

Later, the trio returned to the training field. He stood still, letting the wind tickle his skin. He made a Fuuton: Rasengan and looked at it intently. Due to being wind elemental, the Rasengan was already razor-sharp. How could he improve on _that_?

Naruto heard rustlings. He threw a shuriken on a nearby tree. A squirrel climbed another tree in fear.

Naruto sighed before he retrieved his shuriken. As he laid eyes on it, something clicked in his head. He looked at Kakashi and Yamato with a grin. He made another Futon: Rasengan before gesturing to the Jutsu and the shuriken.

Kakashi eye-smiled. "He managed to think of something."

Yamato sighed. "And all it took was a random squirrel. I can't believe his luck."

* * *

Three days later, grim news spread around the village. Multiple teams had been dispatched to hunt down the Akatsuki team that attacked and destroyed the Fire Temple. One team found the duo and engaged them. After a one-sided battle, the Konoha team received reinforcements and managed to escape, but not without a casualty.

Asuma Sarutobi...

During the funeral, Konohamaru clung to Naruto, crying at the death of his uncle.

* * *

Another two days later, Team Kakashi was summoned to the Hokage's office.

"I heard from Sakura that you finished creating your new Jutsu." Tsunade said.

Naruto nodded. "The Jutsu isn't completely stable yet. But if I have a Kage Bunshin help me keep it in check at first, I can then use it by myself."

Tsunade nodded. "Team Asuma left the village last night to chase after the Akatsuki team that killed Asuma. Kakashi volunteered to be their captain to make sure they stay safe. Your team will be their backup. You are to prepare immediately."

The team saluted and left the office.

* * *

Eventually, they reached Team Asuma, minus Shikamaru. They were restrained by threads coming from Kakuzu, whose body was segmented by threads. Two masks appeared among the threads on Kakuzu's shoulders and were about to fire a Katon and Fuuton Collaboration Jutsu.

Naruto used Kyuubi's chakra to give himself a boost of strength and speed before he appeared in front of Kakuzu and shoved him to the ground. The Collaboration Jutsu shot toward the sky.

"Just in the nick of time." Naruto said as he and the rest of Team Kakashi landed next to Team Asuma and he deactivated Kyuubi's chakra.

Kakashi sighed in relief. "Perfect timing." He said. He had almost used his Mangekyo Sharingan.

"I've never seen you so beaten up, senpai." Yamato said.

It was true. Kakashi was wounded and his clothes were in damaged. He even lost his Flak Jacket.

"Well, excuse me." Kakashi said. "Our enemy just so happens to have more than one life. Those masks you see are hearts he took from his enemies. We managed to destroy two of them, but there are still those two and another one within him. Also, two of you should go back up Shikamaru. A long-range user and a medical ninja." He then summoned Pakkun, who guided Sai and Sakura to Shikamaru.

Naruto stepped forward. "If this guy has more than one life, then he's the perfect target for some field testing."

Kakashi turned to Yamato. "Did he complete it?"

Yamato shook his head. "Almost, he says he still has a few adjustments to make. But it's more than enough."

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto called out as he made a clone.

"Kage Bunshin..." Kakuzu said. "I see... You're the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki."

The original and the clone each raised a hand in the air. Naruto made a Fuuton: Rasengan, which started becoming larger and larger. It made a loud screech-like noise as it expanded. Finally, the wind blades became a large spinning shuriken around the wind sphere. As it was shuriken-shaped, it was meant to be used as a projectile but, unless he added magic to make it a 'spell', he was unable to throw it without going unstable.

"Fuuton: Rasen-shuriken!" Naruto said.

Choji and Ino were awed at the new Jutsu.

Kakuzu was sweating. He knew that if he were to be hit by such a Jutsu, he'd be finished.

Suddenly, the clone used Chakra Chains to restrain the Nuke-nin. Before Kakuzu could even react, Naruto had thrown the Rasen-shuriken. In less than a second, the Jutsu went through the distance between Naruto and Kakuzu and hit the Nuke-nin. Kakuzu was sent flying alongside the Jutsu before it made an enormous explosion of wind.

When the explosion dissipated, Kakuzu's corpse was floating from the attacks it was still receiving. It looked like his body was being punctured by many tiny needles.

"_Even with my Sharingan, I can't count the number of attacks he's receiving."_ Kakashi thought before he looked at Naruto. _"To think he created such a Jutsu from one the Yondaime couldn't complete. It's official, he has surpassed me. And soon, he will surpass you as well, sensei."_

"Amazing..." Choji and Ino muttered as they looked at Naruto.

"Well, it's time we head back to Konoha." Yamato said.

"You guys go on ahead." Naruto said. "It's only natural that I finish things up here."

"Bring the body with you, Naruto. There's something I want to check about your Jutsu." Kakashi said as the others accepted Naruto's reasoning. Naruto nodded before he jumped down the large crater.

"How could I...be beaten...by a bunch of kids?" Kakuzu rasped.

"The next generation will always be stronger than the previous one." Naruto said. His fights with the Belmont clan showed him that much. He made a Fuuton: Rasengan and slammed it on Kakuzu, killing him and gaining his soul.

He would have to use the Jiongu once to gain the threads, which was good because he did not want them. They would make him too obvious.

* * *

"Excellent work, everyone." Tsunade said once the group gave their reports. "But the remaining members of Akatsuki are still a threat, so don't get overconfident. At any rate, you should all take a break. You've earned it. Dismissed!"

The next day, Kakashi and Yamato came to Naruto, telling him the extent of Kakuzu's wounds.

"My Jutsu harms to the cellular level?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi nodded. "Basically, when your Jutsu hits the enemy, many needle-sized wind blades attack every cell in the enemy's body. Your Jutsu severed Kakuzu's nerve channels."

Naruto grimaced. "Ouch."

"It is indeed a dangerous Jutsu." The trio turned to the source of the voice and saw Jiraiya.

"How's it going, Old Pervert?" Naruto smirked.

Jiraiya shook his fist at Naruto. "You haven't changed a bit since I was gone!"

Yamato and Kakashi left the two to their reunion.

"Tsunade-hime told me of your Fuuton: Rasen-shuriken. Well done." Jiraiya said as he calmed down.

"It's not perfect yet. I still have to stabilize it with a clone, something I plan to rectify, and I need to find a way to hit even if the enemy is fast enough to dodge. I only hit Kakuzu because he was restrained by the chains, but not everyone is going to fall for that." Naruto said. _"I also have to be able to throw it with only chakra. Wouldn't want a Hyuuga to use the Byakugan on it and possibly see the magic. __Or not see the magic and see the void that the chakra can't fill.__"_

Jiraiya nodded, proud of his apprentice's foresight.

* * *

Three days later, Team Kakashi received a new mission: to back up Team Anko, lead by Kakashi, for a recon mission they were sent for, two days prior. Pakkun had come back to Konoha with a specimen of a weird Jutsu and were requesting back up. Apparently, one of Orochimaru's bases may have been found.

"They eventually arrived on a mountain surrounded by forests.

"If things are going as planned, they should have left some sign behind." Yamato said. "Sai, do some recon from the sky, would you?"

Sai pulled out a scroll, a brush and ink and drew a large bird in the scroll. "Ninpo: Chouju Giga!" The large bird peeled itself from the scroll and flew to the sky with Sai on its back. However, he quickly came back because of a sudden mist.

The team was forced to continue without any clue, but they soon came upon a barrier made of crystal.

"There's no doubt that this is the enemy's Jutsu." Yamato said. "The very reason we were sent to reinforce the others. Sai!"

Sai had already made his ink avian to check the crystal from above.

He then landed back next to the team. "The barrier surrounds the entire area. It looks to be a kilometer across."

Yamato turned one of his fingers into wood and poked the crystal.

"It doesn't look like it reacts to contact from the outside. Kakashi-senpai and the others must be trapped inside." He said as he returned his finger to normal.

"If they're only trapped, then it's not so bad... But if there's something else, they might be in trouble." Sakura said.

Yamato tried to use Mokuton to dig underground, but even that was barricaded by the crystal barrier.

"Even the ground itself...there is no weak spot in this jutsu." He said.

"It also appears quite strong." Sai said. "We probably won't be able to break it with an attack that focuses at one point."

Yamato nodded. "We need a Jutsu both wide and powerful."

Naruto cracked his knuckles. "Make way, please."

The entire team went to a safe enough distance.

Naruto made a clone and made a Fuuton: Rasen-shuriken before throwing it at the wall. The entire barrier cracked and collapsed under the power of the wind Jutsu.

Team Kakashi then immediately caught up with Team Anko.

"Reinforcement?" A fair-skinned, light-blue-haired woman said. She had dark eyes and her hair was kept in a spiky ponytail, yet kept two long bangs framing her face. She wore a kimono that had a long left sleeve and a short right sleeve over a red turtleneck with a white, fluffy collar.

"Is everyone all right?" Naruto asked.

"Most of us are." Kakashi said. "But the enemy has Hinata as a hostage." He pointed at a crystallized Hinata next to the woman.

"What's the plan?" Yamato asked.

"No sudden movements." Kakashi said. "That woman can shatter the crystal to bits, taking Hinata along with it."

The woman chuckled. "Look at the situation you're in and turn back." She demanded. "If you pull back, I'll hand over the girl."

Suddenly, Sai jumped in the air and made an ink avian. The woman attacked the avian with crystal projectiles, making the avian burst into ink. She had to cover her eyes as it splashed on her. Suddenly, Naruto appeared before her and kicked her on the head, sending her flying.

Naruto then used the Chakra Chains to pull Hinata's crystal from its spot. The entire group retreated upon Hinata being rescued.

Coincidentally, when they got away from the enemy, Pakkun caught up to them.

"Konoha has finished the analysis of Shino's crystallized Kikaichuu." He said. "This is definitely Shoton Ninjutsu. The Kikaichuu was also encased in the crystal."

"So it really can crystallize anything..." Kakashi said.

"The real problem is its potency." Pakkun said. "Even the Kikaichuu's bodily fluids were crystallized."

"What about Hinata?" Kiba asked.

Suddenly, the crystal started cracking, starting from the base that was cracked from being pulled off. Everyone was horrified when the crystal shattered completely, but Hinata was unharmed.

Sakura quickly pressed her ear on Hinata's body to find a heartbeat.

"She's still alive!" She exclaimed in relief as Hinata regained consciousness.

Shino crouched to Hinata's level. "How did you survive? When my Kikaichiuu were trapped within the crystal, they would shatter along with the crystal."

"When I was caught in the Jutsu, I released chakra around my body like a shield." Hinata said.

"So that means the Shoton can't crystallize chakra." Shino said analytically.

"Good quick thinking, Hinata." Kakashi praised.

"Just as expected from you!" Kiba said. "You're amazing, Hinata!"

Akamaru barked in agreement.

Hinata was embarrassed at the praise. "I'm sorry if I worried everyone."

"The most important is that you're safe." Naruto said, with everyone nodding in agreement.

Hinata blushed.

Yamato turned to Kakashi. "What do we do now, senpai?"

Kakashi turned to Hinata.

"D-Don't worry about me." She said as she tried to get up.

"Don't push yourself too hard." Sakura said worriedly.

"Despite being caught in the Jutsu, Hinata managed well..." Shino said.

"We have no way of countering our enemy's ability for now." Kakashi said. "For now, we should retreat."

"But that would mean letting them get away. We went through all this trouble to find them and I don't think we'll catch them again is we retreat." Kiba asked.

"Then we'll split up." Kakashi compromised. "Sai and Sakura will be on standby, waiting for Hinata to recover."

"Right!" The aforementioned duo responded.

"The rest of us will form a pursue team. It's possible that the enemy erased their tracks while fleeing. Even Akamaru may have a hard time finding them."

"Any ideas how to find them?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi nodded. "They use bats to spy on us. We'll use that to our advantage. But if we get too close, they'll find us first. Naruto's ability to destroy the sturdiest crystal is also invaluable right now. If we find them, don't attempt anything. We must uncover their plans first."

"I guess it's time for me to go back." Pakkun said.

Kakashi nodded. "Thanks for the help, Pakkun."

Pakkun disappeared into smoke.

The entire group, except Hinata, Sakura and Sai, left to scout the area.

"We shouldn't have taken our eyes off of them, even for a second." Kiba said. "Now we have to search them all over again!"

"And these bats make it harder for us." Naruto added.

"They do, but we cannot put ourselves at risk." Shino said.

"I never said otherwise." Naruto said.

Kakashi stopped, causing the group to stop.

"Shino, you have a plan?" He asked.

"The problem is how we think." Shino started. "If we worry about the bats finding us, then it'll be a problem. But if we suspect that they'll find us, we can that to our advantage. The bats' supersonic waves won't work from afar. So, how do they report back if they find us?"

"They go back to the one among the enemy who can understand their waves." Naruto said.

Shino nodded.

"Good thinking, Shino." Kakashi praised. "Naruto, three Kage Bunshin."

"_Perfect, one of them will report the Shoton to the original."_ Naruto thought before he did as requested.

"I want them to run on the ground about ten meters away from each other."

"You heard the man. Follow the plan." Naruto said, causing his Bunshin to salute at both the verbal and hidden order.

The Bunshin started running around. Soon, the group saw a bat fly away. Pretty obvious when in broad daylight.

As the team chased the bat, the trio of clones nodded at each other before two of them dispelled. The last one left for the castle. The Shoton would be an interesting Kekkei Genkai to get.

Shino then felt something strange. "What is this sensation?" He wondered.

"What's wrong, Shino?" Kakashi asked.

"My bugs are detecting a strange chakra." The Aburame answered. "It is unlike anything we have ever felt. The sheer amount of chakra is too absurd."

Akamaru barked.

"Akamaru is feeling the same thing." Kiba said.

The group continued on their way. The bat headed toward the mist, where the strange chakra was also coming from.

"Prepare for combat!" Kakashi said. "But don't get careless!"

"Right!" Everyone said.

Suddenly, Kakashi made everyone stop. A smokescreen was spreading.

"They're expecting us." He said. "But if we stay here, we won't be able to find out what's happening in the lake. Naruto, you go on ahead to the lake. We'll make a diversion for you, but don't engage anyone."

"Got it." Naruto said as he jumped in the lake while going around the smokescreen.

He then stopped before a thick mist. He jumped in, staying above water thanks to the Undine soul.

He then heard a loud roar.

"This chakra and this roar. What the hell is going on here?" Naruto wondered.

He then received his last clone's memories. The original would be the one to get the Shoton.

As he walked forward, he saw something. Five crystal pillars and a large turtle encased in crystal. The turtle was very large, had a crab-like shell and...three tails.

"_The Sanbi is here!?"_ Naruto thought.

Then, he saw the Sanbi's gaze turn toward him. Despite the fact that it's crystallized, Naruto could see that Sanbi was clearly conscious and saw it staring right at him.

The Sanbi roared and broke out of the crystal.

Then, the crystal woman from earlier attacked the Sanbi with multiple crystal projectiles.

"_She doesn't look like anyone from Akatsuki... Could Orochimaru be trying to impede Akatsuki's progress?"_ It wasn't completely impossible. Orochimaru was once a member of Akatsuki and Sasori's former partner. So he knows their goal.

"Guren-san!" As the woman, Guren apparently, was repelled by one of Sanbi's roar, Naruto heard a child-like voice call out to the women. He looked to the side and saw a boat. A man and a boy were on the boat. The boy took notice of him as well.

As the Sanbi was about to attack Guren, the boy yelled and let out a visible amount of chakra that rose like a pillar around him. The shocking thing was that the Sanbi stopped in its track.

This kid could somehow control the Sanbi.

However, the pillars shattered and the boy stop what he was doing to control the Sanbi. The Bijuu roared, making waves and sending everyone flying.

Naruto was washed away to the shore.

He walked through the unusually thick mist until he met up with the rest of the group, including Hinata, Sakura and Sai.

"Are you alright, Naruto?" Yamato asked.

Naruto nodded. "I'm fine, but I made a terrifying discovery. The Sanbi is here and I think it's the source of this mist."

Everyone was shocked at his statement.

"It certainly explains this." Shino opened his palm and showed some bugs moving at random. "They've lost their sense of direction."

"So we know what they're aiming for, even if it was not what we expected." Kakashi said. "But first, we must escape this mist. Then we'll sort our information and plan our next move. Hinata, you will go to the sky with Sai and use your Byakugan."

"Y-Yes!" Hinata said as Sai made an ink avian.

When they returned she made her report.

"As we thought, this isn't an ordinary mist." Hinata said. "There's a violent chakra within it, and that chakra is also covering the entire lake."

"The Sanbi is a turtle, so covering the entire lake with its chakra must be easy." Naruto said.

"We will get out of the mist and observe the enemy." Kakashi said. "Pakkun is on his way to Konoha. We will wait for new orders."

The group left the vicinity of the mist and took shelter in a house made by Yamato's Mokuton.

"Naruto." Kakashi called out. "How was the enemy planning to seal the Sanbi?"

Naruto shrugged. "All I saw was that they restrained it with the Shoton, but once the Sanbi saw me, it broke free. It probably felt Kyuubi within me. But that wasn't all. The enemy also had a kid with them. That kid could somehow control the Sanbi. If they used both of these factors together, they probably would have captured it."

Kakashi was shocked but nodded.

"That means we can't just ignore the child." Yamato said. "We should capture him if we get the chance."

* * *

For the night, everyone was taking shifts to survey the area for enemy attacks. During the night, an exhausted Pakkun arrived with Shizune, Ino, Tenten and Lee.

"Now that I'm here, there is no need to worry!" Lee said.

Tenten narrowed her eyes at Lee, making him nervous. "You mean 'we', right?"

Ino stood before Sakura. "Well, you can relax now."

"As confident as always, I see, but I wonder if you've even managed to master the basics of Medical Ninjutsu yet." Sakura taunted.

"What was that!?" Ino growled. "Don't get cocky because you had a small head-start on me."

"Well, at least I didn't start yesterday." Sakura smirked.

Sai, who was near the argument, started taking notes.

"All right, you two, that's enough." Naruto said as he walked up to the two. He turned his gaze to Sakura. "Also, the last time you got cocky against Ino, you lost your fight in the Chunin Exams. Keep it up and she will also surpass you as a medic-nin."

Ino puffed her chest in pride. "You hear that, Forehead Girl?"

Sakura growled. "Shut up, Ino Pig!" She then turned to Naruto. "And whose side are you on, anyway!?"

"All I did was reminding you of the last time I saw you get cocky against Ino. All I'm saying is you shouldn't forget it if you don't want to fall behind."

Sai, who was still taking notes, said to himself. "So their nicknames are Forehead Girl and Ino Pig..." He then looked up and saw that the girls had heard him. They glared at him and punched him in the face at the same time, knocking him down.

The girls then giggled to themselves.

Shizune walked to Yamato and Kakashi. "Tsunade-sama outlined the situation, but please explain in finer details."

Kakashi nodded. "We've also made some discoveries since sending Pakkun." He said as the trio stepped into another room to talk.

After that, the entire group gathered to talk about the mission.

"The mission to search for Orochimaru's hideout has been cancelled." Shizune announced. "Sealing the Sanbi is our top priority. Sakura, Hinata and Ino will be under my command while Kakashi commands the rest of you."

Everyone nodded in acknowledgement.

"In our mission to seal the Sanbi, we must protect the child that Naruto has seen controlling the Sanbi. Akatsuki is not alone in trying to acquire the Bijuu. Orochimaru and certainly the other countries will try to go after an unsealed Bijuu."

"Was the child brought here to become a Jinchuuriki?" Sai asked Naruto, as he was the one to see the events.

Sakura was about to scold Sai, but Naruto calmly answered the question.

"The possibility is there, but he could also be there simply to facilitate the capture of the Sanbi." Naruto answered.

"Naruto is correct. Both possibilities are just as likely." Kakashi said.

"That's why we'll seal the Sanbi somewhere that nobody will find it." Shizune said.

"Hold on. A Bijuu is a giant mass of chakra, right? Sealing it doesn't sound like the simplest thing to do." Kiba commented.

Shizune nodded. "Sealing such an entity demands precise chakra control and great concentration. As medic-nin, Ino, Sakura and I are perfect for the job along with Hinata and her Hyuuga heritage."

"But even if we try to seal the Sanbi, the Shoton user will get in our way." Kakashi said. "So one squad will focus on her while the other teams protect the Sealing Team. Naruto, Sai, Shino!"

The aforementioned trio stood at attention.

"You three will help me fight the Shoton user." Kakashi said before he turned to Yamato. "I leave you in charge of the rest."

The Mokuton user nodded.

* * *

The next morning, the entire group headed off to the lake. The mist had been cleared.

The teams then split off to their objectives.

Naruto then noticed Sai staring at Shino.

"Oh yeah. You two have never met before." Naruto commented.

"Indeed." Shino said.

Naruto pointed his thumb at Sai. "This is Sai. Don't let his lack of social skills get to you, he's learning in his preferred way." He then turned to Sai. "Sai, this is Shino. This guy is very knowledgeable and can see the logic in any situation. You should know from your time in Anbu that Shino is an Aburame and is very adept at working with the Kikaichuu."

Sai nodded and smiled at Shino. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Shino said.

When they arrived near the lake, they had to cover a hiding Shino, as he was preparing his Kikaichuu.

Suddenly, Kakashi, Naruto and Sai were attacked by the large man that was on the boat when the Sanbi was on a rampage. They dodged the attack by jumping on the water.

The Konoha trio also blocked some crystal shurikens.

Guren appeared next to the large man. "This time, you're not getting away."

She slammed her hand on the water, turning it into crystal and aiming for Naruto, who jumped in the air to dodge.

"You're mine!" Guren said as the crystal spikes rose to the sky.

Naruto cursed and slammed a Rasengan on the incoming spikes, destroying them.

However, the large man used the pillar of crystal as a mace to try and crush the team, but they dodge. Sai made an ink beast that tried to attack Guren, but the large man caught the beast, allowing Guren to charge toward the Konoha team. Guren made a blade of crystal on her arm. Kakashi blocked the blade with his kunai and tried to attack Guren with his Raikiri, only for her to jump away before being hit. The large man ripped the ink beast in half and stood in front of Guren, facing the Konoha team.

Guren shot some crystal shuriken at the trio, only for them to block with their blades.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

Deidara sighed as Tobi tried to make him play hide and seek.

"I'm hiding my face, but not my butt." Tobi said as he hid behind a tree, with his butt sticking out. When he noticed that Deidara was ignoring him, he caught up to the blond. "Are you still mad at me for insulting your art, Senpai? Let's just be friends and look for the Sanbi together!"

Deidara glared at Tobi, frightening him. "Shut up!"

"But if we don't do our jobs, the others will start picking on us!" Tobi insisted. "What if I let you see what's under my mask?"

"I said shut up!" Deidara said as he headed left on a forked path.

"If you continue like that, I might leave!" Tobi threatened. When Deidara ignored him, Tobi sighed and walked to the right path. "I guess it can't be helped."

"I didn't think I'd find you guys here." Tobi turned to the source of the voice and found Souma.

"Souma-senpai!" Tobi said cheerfully. "What are you doing here?"

"I have spies travelling the Countries to find rogue Kekkei Genkai users. One of them is close by."

"Oooooh, another Kekkei Genkai for Souma-senpai? What is it?"

"A crystal-elemental Kekkei Genkai. I'll gain more knowledge of it when I take it from the user."

"Sounds exciting!" Tobi said as the two continued on their way. "Hopefully, we'll also find the Sanbi. Maybe then, Deidara-senpai will think Tobi is a good boy!"

"What did you do to make him angrier than usual?" Souma asked.

"Tobi saw something that looked like Deidara-senpai's work of art. Tobi then called Deidara-senpai's work of art a cheap rip-off. Deidara-senpai then made Tobi flying into the air with an explosion!"

Souma laughed as they walked along the road.

* * *

Naruto watched as Sai dodged the large man's never-ending assault and Kakashi dodged Guren's crystals.

The large man was suddenly restrained by ink snakes that jumped out of the water.

Guren sent three crystal dragons toward Kakashi, who used his Raikiri to save himself.

Guren smirked. "How naive."

Naruto's eyes widened as Guren made a large crystal spike. Kakashi fell on it, slightly piercing his back. Kakashi fell to the water as Guren walked toward him.

"It looks like your reputation was overblown, Sharingan Kakashi!" She said as she made three more dragons.

Naruto ran toward the fight to try and help Kakashi, but a large amount of bugs blocked the dragons before swarming Guren.

Guren crystallized the entire swarm. To her shock, the bugs broke free of the crystal.

"Impossible, my Shoton can't be defeated!" Guren claimed.

"Wanna bet?" Guren's eyes widened as she turned around to face Naruto.

Guren made a crystal blade and swiped at Naruto, who blocked with Muramasa. Her eyes widened as her blade started cracking. She jumped away as her blade shattered. She was then swarmed by Shino's bugs.

"Now! She can't use her Shoton!" Shino said.

Naruto charged.

Guren did her best to dodge Naruto's blade before she encased herself in a crystal barrier.

Naruto slammed a Rasengan on it, but it immediately repaired the damage.

Shino focused his bugs on one spot as Kakashi charged with a Raikiri. The crystal was shattered open by the bugs. As Kakashi was about to attack Guren with his Raikiri, a wall of mud blocked his hand.

"Gozu?" Guren asked aloud.

The wall of mud grew a face, the large man's face, before sending mud balls at the swarm of bugs. Gozu then grabbed Guren and let her down on the far shore.

Kakashi then focused his Raikiri on the mud wall, destroying the wall of mud and Gozu.

Naruto and Shino appeared next to Kakashi. "Are you all right, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, but she got away." Kakashi said as he stared at the far shore.

"Even with my bugs, she got away." Shino said.

"We'll split up." Kakashi said. "Naruto, go with Shino. Sai, you're with me."

Everyone nodded as the quartet split up.

* * *

Tobi and Souma were overlooking a lake. They saw Shizune, Sakura, Hinata and Ino with an odd barrier that suddenly became larger.

"Slowly lower the net. Do not let the Sanbi know we're here." Shizune ordered.

"Did you hear that, Senpai? The Sanbi is here!" Tobi said.

"Deidara would make things easier if he were here." Souma commented.

A tanned man then tried to charge toward the quartet, but Lee suddenly appeared and kicked him in the face, knocking him back. Tenten then appeared next to Lee. The tanned man then disappeared in a swirl of flame.

"This is bad!" Tobi said. "If this keeps up, the Sanbi will be sealed! If we were to fight them, we'd be outnumbered, right Senpai?"

"Let's wait until the Sanbi reveals itself." Souma said. "I hardly imagine it will let itself be sealed."

"Are you sure, Senpai?" Tobi asked as they could see the silhouette of the Sanbi underwater. "Oh, I think it's struggling to free itself."

The Sanbi was indeed struggling. But the seal was strong. Eventually, the Sanbi was completely ensnared in the net.

Suddenly, Guren attacked Lee and Tenten. The battle was pretty even until Guren used a crystal dragon. Ino was so shocked that it unbalanced the seal.

"And there's the crystal user." Souma said.

"That's impressive." Tobi commented.

The tanned man then charged toward the seal to break it, but was blocked by Naruto and Shino, who had come this way thanks to one of Shino's bugs. Shino used his bugs to stop the crystal dragon. Suddenly, the seal broke through the Sanbi's struggles.

"Oooh, you were right, Souma-senpai!" Tobi said. "The Sanbi broke the seal!"

"All thanks to the constant interruptions." Souma said. "Konoha weren't the only ones aiming for the Sanbi, so interruptions were bound to happen."

Guren and the tanned man, Rinji she called him, were about to leave, but the Sanbi made huge wave that washed everyone away.

The Sanbi then went to the island Guren was washed away in and seemed to be about to attack.

Souma and Tobi were tree hopping in the forest and saw the Sanbi. It looked like it was about to attack, but pillar of chakra appeared around a child and the Sanbi stopped.

"What's going on, Souma-senpai?" Tobi asked.

"From what I can see, the kid at the center of the rising chakra is controlling the Sanbi and making it stop. How he does it is a mystery."

"But that's a bad thing!" Tobi claimed. "Please keep watching over the Sanbi while I tell Deidara-senpai!" Tobi ran away, yelling 'Deidara-senpai!' the entire time.

Suddenly, the child became exhausted and Guren barely managed to dodge Sanbi's attack and land next to the child. Rinji also joined them. The Sanbi sent a water bomb at them, but they managed to take cover.

The Sanbi charged and bumped against the cliff. Rinji took cover with the child as Guren fell down.

The child joined Guren as the Sanbi was about to attack. He glowed with chakra that rose to the sky, splitting the clouds. The Sanbi stopped in its tracks.

However, the kid quickly became exhausted.

The Sanbi started to relentlessly shoot water bombs at the mountain.

Guren eventually managed to get up and jump away from the mountain with the kid. She then ran around the Sanbi, probably trying to lure the turtle away from wherever the kid was.

Naruto, Kakashi, Shino and Sai then arrived on the scene.

The Sanbi attacked the shore, where Souma guessed the kid was, before Guren attacked the Sanbi with two crystal dragons that it easily destroyed. She then encased the Sanbi in a crystal formation.

Naruto ran around the Sanbi's crystal cage and stood next to Guren. "You're looking worse for wear."

Guren glared at him. "What are you doing here?"

"The child is able to control the Sanbi, somehow. He must be protected." Naruto answered.

The Sanbi then roared and broke out of the crystal.

Guren clicked her tongue as she made a desperate move. "Shisho: Tenketsu!" She then glowed with chakra and jumped in the air. "Shoton: Isshi Koubyou!" She was surrounded by four lights that focused into a single laser that shot right into the Sanbi's single eye, staggering it.

"Now's my chance!" Naruto said as he charged toward the stunned tortoise with a Fuuton: Rasengan, which he slammed right on the Sanbi's eye.

The Sanbi wailed and went underwater.

"That wasn't too bad for a sudden truce." Naruto commented as he turned to Guren, who was panting and bleeding from the left hip, if the bloodstain was anything to go by.

The Sanbi then jumped right out the water and landed on them face first, swallowing them and diving back down.

"Oh boy, that's not good." Souma commented.

* * *

Naruto regained consciousness at the feeling of water dripping down his face.

"This place... Don't tell me the Sanbi ate us." Naruto sighed. "First a snake, now a tortoise. I'm not food, dammit!"

He then started walking around. The insides were made of hardened shells.

As he walked around, he met up with Guren.

"So, I'm not the only one who survived." Naruto commented.

Guren threw a crystal shuriken at Naruto, who blocked with Muramasa.

"You really want to fight inside the Sanbi of all places?" He asked.

"I won't let you take Yuukimaru away!" She claimed, despite being in pain from her wounded hip. She then fell unconscious.

He slowly walked toward her, making sure it wasn't just a show to make him lower his guard. She truly was unconscious.

"_If she bleeds out, the Shoton will be lost."_ Naruto thought as he applied first aid on the wound.

Eventually, Guren woke up. When she saw him, she tried to attack him, but wince in pain from her wound. She then noticed her wound was bandaged.

"Why did you treat my wound?" She demanded.

"Because of Yuukimaru." Naruto answered. "Either you are important to him or the other way around, but things will get complicated with him if you die. So let's have a truce until we get out of here."

Guren was silent for a moment before she accepted the offer.

Suddenly, they were surrounded by an army of mini-Sanbi.

"Run!" Naruto screamed as they started fleeing. Guren fell, because of her wound. Naruto grabbed her hand and pulled her away. He jumped in the air before landing on a wall.

"I can run by myself." Guren said as she pulled away from his grip and started running, with Naruto following her.

They eventually managed to hide from the army of Sanbi.

"You all right?" Naruto asked.

"Why did you save me?" She asked.

"I already told you, because of Yuukimaru."

"If the situation were reversed, I'd be killing you off."

"If the roles were reversed, my Jinchuuriki abilities would have healed the wound long before we were chased." Naruto countered.

Guren's eyes widened. "You're the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki?"

"There's no time to chat about that." Naruto said. "This place is a damn maze. We have to look for the exit, the _right_ one, if possible."

Guren grimaced at the image before she nodded in agreement. Naruto used the Kage Bunshin to have the clones help in the search for the exit.

"With an army by our side, finding the exit will be a breeze." Naruto claimed.

Guren was shocked by the hundreds of Naruto clones.

Eventually, however, all of his clones were caught and dispelled by the little critters.

Guren and Naruto were soon surrounded by the little bastards once more, only for the little army to make way for larger versions of them.

"Gimme a break!" Naruto growled.

"We have to fight them." Guren said as she threw some crystal shuriken at the monsters. Their shells broke the crystals easily.

Naruto started looking for a way out and found a hole on the ceiling.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto made two Bunshin, who were ready to boost them up the ceiling.

"Can you jump?" Naruto asked.

Guren nodded, but winced and clutched her wound.

Naruto sighed as he crouched. "Get on my back."

Guren blushed. "I can't do that."

"Why not!? We're being chased here!" Naruto growled.

"...I have too much pride." She admitted.

Naruto sighed. "Dammit..." He then picked Guren up bridal style, making her blush even more, and used the clones to jump into the only way out of this mess.

Naruto sighed in relief.

Guren was still embarrassed. "Put me down, already!"

Naruto complied.

Suddenly, they heard water flowing. They ran to the source and saw Tsubaki flowers floating along a river.

"I think we've found our way out." Naruto said as they ran against the flow of water until they found a hole.

Naruto slammed a Rasengan into the hole to make it bigger. They were suddenly pulled in the hole.

* * *

When Naruto, regained consciousness, he and Guren were outside.

"We made it out." Guren said.

Suddenly, chakra flared all the way up to the clouds.

"Yuukimaru!" Guren called out as she rushed toward the chakra.

The two of them went to the source of the chakra, where they saw Rinji about to inject a liquid in Yuukimaru. Guren threw a crystal needle at Rinji, making him jump back before he could give the injection.

Guren caught Yuukimaru as he fell while Naruto stood between the duo and Rinji.

"You two are still alive after all..." Rinji said.

"You came back..." Yuukimaru muttered happily.

"I'm here..." Guren reassured.

Rinji chuckled. "Are you really so happy to see your mother's murderer, Yuukimaru?"

"Guren-san?" Yuukimaru asked.

Guren closed her eyes. "It's true. I killed your mother. I know you may never forgive me, no matter how much I regret and apologize."

Yuukimaru pulled a white Tsubaki flower encased in a crystal. "I know that Guren is a good person deep down."

Guren started crying in joy as she hugged the boy.

"What a horrible joke..." Rinji chuckled. "For two loving weaklings to comfort each other's pain... Such a bond will be ripped apart!" He then started throwing scalpels at the hugging duo, only for Naruto to deflect them all before catching the last one and throwing it right back at Rinji, cutting his cheek.

Naruto's eyes narrowed at the much lighter shade of skin underneath the first layer. "Nice disguise, Kabuto."

"I guess the scalpels gave away who was underneath the mask." Kabuto said as he peeled off the disguise. "But if you keep getting in my way, Naruto-kun, I will kill you."

"You say that when you've yet to defeat me once, like Sasuke." Naruto countered.

Guren's eyes widened. _"He fought __**that**__ guy and never lost?"_ She clearly remembered the last time she saw Sasuke. He had effortlessly knocked down a thousand enemies by himself.

Kabuto smirked as he charged with a scalpel in hand. Muramasa easily cut through the scalpel before Naruto kicked Kabuto to a wall.

"Guren, take Yuukimaru away." Naruto said. "I'll deal with Four-eyes."

Guren nodded before she left with Yuukimaru in her arms.

Kabuto bit his thumb before applying the blood to a scroll. "Shikon no Jutsu!" He then threw the scroll down to where Guren and Yuukimaru were.

The reanimated corpse of Rinji was standing before the duo. "Guren..."

Naruto looked at the fight. Rinji's ability to control bats and their ultrasonic waves was the perfect counter to Guren's Shoton, as the waves easily destroyed any crystal she tried to create. Eventually, Guren managed to grasp Rinji's arms, preventing him from using the bats, and crystallizing the both of them.

"Guren-san!" Yuukimaru cried out as he tried to prevent the crystal from falling into the lake, but failed.

As the crystallized Tsubaki started to crack, Yuukimaru cried out in anguish, flaring his chakra and making the Sanbi powerful enough to break the seal once more. Upon breaking the seal, the Sanbi made its way toward them while destroying everything in its path.

"Now that his bond with Guren has shattered, he finally unleashed his true powers." Kabuto told Naruto. "To think his despair would make such a huge impact..."

Naruto kept his gaze on the Sanbi as it destroyed everything around it. This thing had to be stopped. He activated four tails of Kyuubi's chakra, gaining the Sanbi's attention.

The Sanbi shot a water bomb, which Naruto countered with the Chakra Gun Volley.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. Yuukimaru was making the Sanbi more powerful than normal. He would need to use even more of Kyuubi's chakra.

Two more of the Kyuubi's tails grew larger. He started creating a Bijuudama. Seeing what he was doing, the Sanbi also prepared a Bijuudama.

Kabuto's eyes widened at Naruto's use of chakra and at the thought of the damage this will obviously cause. He promptly left the vicinity.

Both beasts launched their attacks, which clashed midway before Naruto's started dominating and push Sanbi's back toward it. The Sanbi wailed as he received the attack and the explosion before it went back underwater.

Naruto deactivated the Kyuubi's chakra and turned to Yuukimaru, who was on the ground and no longer flaring chakra.

Naruto sighed. "Guess I have to bring him with me." He said as he picked the boy up. He then saw the crystallized Tsubaki. When it started cracking, Yuukimaru unleashed his power. If he didn't have it with him, he will probably unleash more. So he picked it up and placed it in the boy's hand. Even unconscious, the boy clutched it tightly.

"With the Sanbi out of the seal and back underwater, the others are probably going back to camp and resting up." Naruto said before he headed back to the Mokuton house.

* * *

When he made it back, everyone was relieved to see him safe and they placed Yuukimaru on a futon. Upon examination, the boy's body had been so stressed that his vitals were weak and he lost his ability to control the Sanbi.

Through Katsuyu, Tsunade's Slug Summon, they received the Hokage's order to return to the Village, now that capturing the Sanbi is perceived as too difficult for them. Another team will be keeping watch over the Sanbi until it can be sealed.

In the middle of the night, Naruto woke up and found that Yuukimaru snuck out. He ran outside and looked around. He heard a grass whistle and ran toward the source until it stopped. He then saw something glowing within a bush and picked it up.

It was the crystallized Tsubaki, without a single crack on it.

"I see..." Naruto said as he returned to camp.

The next morning, the younger members were shocked that Yuukimaru snuck away. Most wanted to search for him, but others, like Shino, Kakashi and Naruto were against the idea.

"Without the ability to control the Sanbi, he is useless to us." Shino had said.

"There is no need to look for a child that run's away." Kakashi had said.

Naruto had merely pulled out the crystallized Tsubaki. "The crystal repaired itself, which means that Guren is alive. He probably ran back to her, so we don't need to worry."

Everyone relented and packed up. But when Naruto was about to put the crystal back in his backpack, it shattered to pieces.

"Uh oh." Naruto said.

"'Uh oh!'" Sakura repeated indignantly. "That's all you're saying!?"

"What else _can_ I say?" Naruto asked. "We were ordered to return to the village. There's nothing more we can do."

When everyone was about to leave, the Anbu team appeared and were ready to watch over the Sanbi. Yamato dispelled the wooden house and the group made their way back to Konoha.

* * *

Later, one of the Anbu landed next to another one, who was writing something. "Time for the report, huh?" He asked.

"Yeah." The second one said.

"What are you writing, hmph?" Deidara asked as he suddenly appeared between the two, making them jump away.

It was too late, however, for both of them already had a clay spider on them that exploded in their faces, killing both of them.

Tobi applauded as he approached the blond. "Wow, as expected from Deidara-senpai."

"This is completely different from your intel, hmph." Deidara told Tobi.

"Of course." Both of them turned to Souma, who had just landed next to them. "The previous teams left after failing to seal the Sanbi twice. The four Anbu were their replacement."

"Souma-senpai! Did you get your new Kekkei Genkai?" Tobi asked.

"As a matter of fact, I did." Souma said.

"There won't be anyone to bother us now, so let's fill our quota!" Tobi said.

"You're a hundred years too young to be bossing us around, hmph." Deidara said as he made an avian from his clay and flew over the lake.

He made multiple clay bombs that swam under water and exploded the entire lake. With the lake mostly out of water from the explosion, the Sanbi was very much visible.

"Wow, from that close, it really looks like a tortoise." Tobi commented.

"So this is the Sanbi?" Deidara asked.

"I think I'll leave it to Deidara-senpai and Souma-senpai." Tobi said.

"Ah, Tobi, you were only accepted in Akatsuki because Souma didn't need the position, right?" Deidara asked as his avian gained altitude. "How about you deal with it?"

"Now, now, Deidara, that's not how one should treat his kouhai." Souma said before he turned to Tobi. "Just watch your senpai gobble this thing whole."

Tobi clapped his hands as he jumped back. "Oh, I can't wait to see this!"

The Sanbi roared and shot a water bomb at Souma.

"Ranton: Raiunkuha!" Souma said as thunderclouds appeared around him and absorbed the water bomb before growing bigger. The clouds shot lightning straight in the Sanbi's face, making it wail in pain.

The Sanbi tried attacking Souma with one of its tails, but the thunderclouds would shock the tail before it made impact and shoot lightning at the Sanbi again.

"Now, for the grand finale!" Souma said as the clouds used all their chakra to shock the Sanbi. As the Bijuu whimpered in pain, Souma appeared before it. He removed his mask, but kept a firm grip on his hood to hide his face.

"Meiton: Kyuketsuko!" Souma said before he absorbed the mass of chakra that was the Sanbi with his mouth. When he finished, he put his mask back on and turned to the others while pulling out a glowing blue orb. "That's five out of nine, now!"

Tobi applauded. "That was amazing, Souma-senpai!"

"Impressive." Deidara said. "And that's our quota filled for now, so let's go back, hmph." He made a second avian for Tobi and Souma and they left for the closest hideout to seal the Sanbi.


	14. Chapter 14: Sky and Uchiha

**Stratos263: I don't know, the chances were pretty good before the interruptions. Then again, Ino did look like she was struggling, so it was either or, in my opinion.**

**Metalero Anarkista: I'm not sure if I can pull it off, but I think I have an idea. It won't be perfect, but I think it will work, in a sense.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 14: Sky and Uchiha**

A few days later, an army of foreign shinobi attacked Konoha from the sky. They glided on winged mechanical devices and dropped bombs into the village. They even sent a beam that destroyed most of the surroundings.

Naruto scowled before he received a call of help from an older man who was trying to remove some debris that were crushing another citizen.

Naruto easily pushed away the debris, freeing the citizen.

The old man had long grey hair beneath a red bandana and a beard. He had yellow eyes with dark bangs around them, along with tear trough under his eyes. He wore a black shirt beneath a white gi that had blue and brown edges, as well as a sleeveless red jacket with gold sidings over all of that, and simple blue pants.

The old man started patting the citizen's torso. "There's a hole in his lung." He said before pulling out a glass tube and stabbed it in the torso to make sure the air didn't build up in the lungs and crush them. "Take him to the hospital. Be sure to carry him without bending his chest, Naruto."

Naruto narrowed his eyes as the old man walked away. How did he know his name? Ignoring that for now, Naruto made multiple clones that would carry the man without bending his body.

* * *

Once he arrived at the hospital and placed the man on a bed, he saw the number of wounded everywhere.

"Some of these people have been treated perfectly." Sakura said. "Who did this?"

"That would be Shinno-sensei!" Everyone turned to the window and saw a girl with reddish-brown hair beneath a blue bandana. She wore a cyan-blue gi with a cream-coloured vest, blue shorts, dark armbands and legbands.

She looked at some of the treated citizens. "They were all treated by Shinno-sensei!"

"I've heard of the name." One of the doctors said.

"So that's the old man's name, huh?" Naruto said aloud before the girl grabbed him by the collar.

"You saw him!? Where is he!?" She demanded.

"Would you calm down!?" Naruto said as he took her hands off of him. "After he treated the one I carried here, he walked away. You think I took the time to look for him while I carried someone here?"

"My village is in trouble!" The girl insisted.

Before Naruto could retort that Konoha was just _attacked_, the girl fell unconscious.

* * *

Later, Shinno arrived in the hospital. He was shocked, but relieved, when he heard of the girl, who was called Amaru.

"Thank you for keeping watch over Amaru, Naruto." Shinno said.

"Don't mention it." Naruto said. "Is she your apprentice? She kept calling you sensei."

Shinno laughed. "I'm not much of a teacher."

Amaru then regained consciousness.

"Look who's awake." Naruto said.

Amaru turned to Naruto and quickly sat up when she saw Shinno. "Shinno-sensei! My-"

"I am aware. Naruto here told me of what you said before you lost consciousness." Shinno said.

"We have to go quickly!" Amaru insisted.

"That's why Tsunade-sama will have us as an emergency medical three-man team to guide you." Sakura said as she and Hinata entered the room.

"You two and...?" Naruto asked.

Hinata blushed as she looked at Naruto. "You as well, Naruto-kun."

Naruto nodded. "Got it."

Shinno bowed. "You have my thanks."

"Let's work well together, Naruto-kun." Hinata said.

Naruto nodded.

* * *

The group were on boats into a jungle. Amaru's village was upstream within it. Shinno said it was near some ruins.

"There's chakra emanating from a flyer, high in the sky." Hinata said with her Byakugan active. "The same as the ones who attacked Konoha."

"Hide under the trees!" Shinno ordered as everyone rowed under the trees.

One of the shinobi that attacked Konoha was gliding in the sky, overlooking the rivers, before he flew away.

The group then continued rowing upstream.

Suddenly, a fish jumped out of the water and bit Naruto on the hand. Naruto threw the fish back in the water and kept rowing.

"Don't ignore your wound like that!" Amaru said as she pulled out a scalpel. "These piranhas are poisonous!"

"No worries." Naruto said as he showed her his hand, free of any bite marks thanks to Kyuubi's chakra. "I have a healing factor that heals my wounds and destroys any poison that enters my system."

Amaru calmed down and they kept rowing.

"I'm jealous." Amaru said.

"Of my healing factor?" Naruto asked.

Amaru nodded. "When I was younger, I caught an unknown disease. Nobody wanted to risk catching it, so I ended up being alone. But Shinno-sensei healed me and I have followed his ways ever since."

"I know all about being alone." Naruto said. "This healing factor of mine isn't genetic. It's one of the benefits of my curse."

"Your curse?" Amaru asked.

"The Kyuubi no Kitsune." Naruto said. "The fox that is said to destroy mountains and make tsunamis with but a flick of its tails is sealed within me. Because of this, most adults tried to keep their kids away from me. I really haven't had any friends until I became Genin over 3 years ago."

Amaru's eyes widened.

* * *

Eventually, they docked the boats and went through the jungle. Shinno and Naruto cut through whatever vines were in their way, with a machete and Muramasa.

Sakura and Hinata were intimidated by the noises of the jungle.

"Don't worry." Shinno said. "There aren't that many bugs or wild beasts in this part of the jungle. We're almost at Amaru's village."

As they kept walking, they saw smoke coming from somewhere.

Amaru had a horrified look on her face as she rushed forward, with the others following after her.

When they caught up to her, they saw that the village had been burned down

As she ran around the village, she accidentally triggered a trap. Crossbows started shooting kunai toward her, but Shinno pulled her away and started deflecting the many kunai, but his machete broke and he was pierced from many angles.

"A-Amaru..." Shinno said as he fell down.

Amaru caught him. "Sensei! Hang in there, Shinno-sensei!"

"It seems...jumping in was all I could do..." Shinno said. "...Because you are...my apprentice." He then took off his bandana and handed it to Amaru. "It's up to you, now. Work together with everyone...and find the villagers."

"Sensei!" Amaru cried out as Sakura tried to heal him. But it was all for nothing, as Shinno drew his last breath.

Hinata, with her Byakugan active, shook her head.

Amaru cried as she held Shinno's body.

* * *

They eventually buried Shinno's body.

"Umm..." Hinata said as the trio watched Amaru cry in front of Shinno's grave. "Since there aren't any bodies, the people must have taken shelter somewhere."

Sakura nodded. "The three of us will search for the villagers."

Hinata and Naruto nodded as all three of them started looking around.

Naruto eventually saw something that was almost unnoticeable, because of the mist.

"Naruto." He heard Sakura call out to him. "What are you doing? We're supposed to look for the villagers."

Naruto pointed forward. "Look."

Sakura looked at where he was pointing. "What's that?"

"The ruins Shinno mentioned, I guess."

They walked into the ruins until they saw a familiar face with the only difference being a red bandana instead of a blue one.

"Amaru?" Naruto asked. "What are you doing here?"

Amaru's eyes then started glowing red. "I am Reibi. As conflict rages in the world and people's hearts become overcome with darkness, I am born anew."

"What are you talking about?" Sakura asked.

"She's being possessed." Naruto said.

"Exactly." Reibi said as the ghostly figure of a dark-purple leech with a serpent-like body coiled around her. It had a noh mask with the kanji for 'Zero' on it. "I feed on the darkness inside of hearts. I am born and then grew without bound, in order for this world to be ruled by darkness."

Amaru then transformed into Reibi and charged.

Sakura tried to punch the leech, but it grew an arm and blocked the punch before giving her its own punch that sent her flying before crashing next to Naruto.

Reibi then grew more arms and tried to grab Naruto.

"You call yourself 'Reibi' as if you are worthy to stand among the Bijuu. You are wrong." Naruto said as he flared Kyuubi's chakra.

"**This evil chakra... I want this power!"** Reibi said.

"Not a chance!" Naruto said as he went four tails. **"This is a power far greater than you!"**

He charged toward Reibi and clawed its head off of its neck. But the two quickly reattached themselves. He then saw Amaru's body within Reibi.

"**Amaru."** Naruto called out. **"Is this how you thank Shinno for everything he did for you?"**

Amaru's eyes opened wide. "Shinno-sensei..."

Reibi disappeared. Naruto deactivated Kyuubi's chakra and caught Amaru as she fell.

"Good job, Amaru." Naruto said. "I'm sure Shinno would be proud."

"Yeah..." Amaru muttered.

Sakura then regained consciousness. "What happened?"

"Reibi is no longer possessing Amaru." Naruto said.

The ground suddenly started shaking.

Sakura looked at the ruins next to them. "Are Hinata and the villagers in there?" She wondered.

"I'll go and find out. You take Amaru back to Konoha." Naruto said.

Sakura nodded. "I'll bring reinforcements as well."

"I'm not going anywhere!" Amaru said. "I shall honor Shinno-sensei's teachings! I will bring the villagers back!"

"So be it." Naruto said as he walked past Amaru and toward the ruins. "Let's go."

"Right!" Amaru said as she followed Naruto, ignoring Sakura's protests.

* * *

When they entered the ruins, everything started shaking like crazy until everything stopped.

They then hid when they heard footsteps. Those shinobi were patrolling the hallways.

"Naruto." Amaru whispered. "These ruins, they're flying."

"They are?" Naruto whispered. "Oh well, let's keep going."

"If this was created by humans, then someone must be controlling it." Amaru said as they ran in the halls.

"Then we just have to find them." Naruto said.

When they were about to enter a room, two shinobi stood in their way, but were quickly knocked out by Naruto.

When they entered the room, they were surprised when they saw Shinno sitting on a throne. "Well done, you two." He said.

"Sensei!" Amaru cried out as she ran toward Shinno and hugged him, making the old man laugh.

"Why the secrecy?" Naruto asked as he walked closer to them.

"Would you fools even understand?" Shinno asked bluntly. "This flying fortress is called Ancor Vantian. It may look like ruins, but it's been studied and rebuilt by shinobi of Sora no Kuni decades ago. It's the ultimate weapon of destruction."

"And here you are, sitting on its throne like a king." Naruto said. "Not to mention feigning death."

"I feigned death to fool Sakura and Hinata over such a simple matter." Shinno explained. Amaru's eyes opened wide. "And I would prefer the term emperor."

"Emperor of Sora no Kuni's fortress of destruction... You instigated the attack on Konoha."

"You are as astute as I knew you were, Naruto." Shinno said.

"Sensei?" Amaru said before Shinno grabbed her head and lifted her up.

"I'm not going to beat up my dear allies, obviously." He said as threw Amaru toward Naruto, who caught the girl. Shinno had the red bandana in his hand. "Fourteen years ago, I posed as a wandering doctor, infiltrating villages all over the country, in order to obtain the method of using Reibi."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Reibi..."

Amaru sat up. Her hair reached beyond the small of her back and she had two bangs that framed her face and reached her collarbone.

"It took me thirteen years to find the scroll that would show me how to revive Reibi. I found it in Konoha and I have obtained the power of Reibi! The power of Dark Chakra!"

Naruto scowled.

"Naruto, wait!" Amaru said as she grabbed Naruto's shoulders. "This isn't right! Something is wrong with Sensei, right?! We can help him!"

Suddenly, they heard the sound of cloth being ripped. They turned to Shinno and saw him rip the red bandana to shreds.

"How unfortunate, Amaru." Shinno said. "I am not crazy. In fact, I am finally being honest. When darkness is born in people's hearts, they become possessed by Reibi, and it turns the darkness into chakra. Once I understood that, it became simple, even if it took me fourteen years. People fall into despair. When they are ruled by sadness... That which creates sadness, anger and hatred... All of that can become dark chakra."

"You had Amaru's village burned down so she would fall to despair and become possessed by Reibi and create dark chakra." Naruto accused.

"Exactly." Shinno said.

Amaru started shaking. "Lies..."

Shinno smirked. "Master? Apprentice? Who cares about such relationships? You were nothing more than a pawn in my plan!" He laughed cruelly.

Amaru started screaming in anguish as Shinno chuckled.

"A person who has saved someone's life will never be doubted." Shinno said.

Naruto held Amaru close to him as the girl cried.

"I can already feel the Dark Chakra from her." Shinno said as black chakra flowing around his body. "Dark Chakra isn't only for resurrecting Reibi, however. Observe!" He started flaring Dark Chakra before he grew in muscle mass and his hair and beard turned black in color. He also looked much younger than before. "This is my Body Revival Jutsu. With this ultimate body, I can open all of the Eight Gates, even the Gate of Death."

Naruto stood between Shinno and Amaru. Suddenly, Shinno appeared before him and punched him in the gut. "Do you see what this ultimate body, born of the Body Revival Jutsu, means?" He said as he knocked the blond on the ground. "Oh, I'm sorry. I am not used to all this power!" He then kicked Naruto into a wall. He then walked to the throne.

"How about putting all this power to the test?" Shinno and Amaru turned to Naruto, who had a Rasengan in hand. He charged toward Shinno and slammed the sphere on the man's face, sending him into a wall.

Naruto walked toward Amaru.

"Muscles gains strength every time they are damaged and regenerated." Shinno said as the shredded muscles on his cheek healed. "All you need to do is grasp the regeneration mechanism from Medical Ninjutsu, and with just the damage alone you can gain a strong body. It's always possible."

Shinno then appeared behind Naruto.

"When the ultimate body releases chakra, it creates this ultimate attack!" Shinno said as he created an orb of darkness with two rings rotating around it. Naruto cursed as he activated Kyuubi's chakra. "Super Revival Fist!"

Shinno slammed the orb on Naruto's back, sending him flying into the throne.

Naruto groggily got up.

"I'm so glad that you can move after taking that." Shinno said as he walked toward Naruto. "But you'll pay for damaging my throne. Now, fight me with your own dark power!"

He was then kicked into a wall.

"I have no need to use it offensively to kill you." Naruto said as his wounds were completely healed. He then walked toward Amaru. "This may be the last time you will talk to him. If there's anything you wanted to say before, but couldn't, now's the time."

Amaru nodded as she turned to Shinno, who pulled himself out of the wall. "Sensei! After everything you've done for me, after everything I did by following in your footsteps, every time you praised me, I've always loved you!"

Shinno laughed. "I care not for your feelings, girl!"

He then received a strong punch to the gut from Naruto, followed by an uppercut, then a multitude of kicks by Kage Bunshin before a punch sent him crashing to a wall.

Shinno groggily stood up.

"How pathetic." Everyone turned to the source of the voice and saw Sasuke.

"The hell are you doing here!?" Naruto demanded.

Sasuke looked at Shinno. "Orochimaru wants your help."

"And if I refuse?" Shinno asked. "Will you take me by force?"

"If that is what you wish." Sasuke said.

"Little advice, then." Naruto interjected. "His muscles heal from whatever punishment they receive, making him stronger."

"And that is why you are no match for me!" Shinno said. "There is more than enough Dark Chakra in this world!"

"Try it." Sasuke said as he appeared behind Shinno and kicked him to the pillar in the middle of the room.

Shinno then tried to focus Dark Chakra, but fell to the ground and seemed to age a lot. He lost his hair and became skinny.

"What's the matter?" Sasuke asked as he walked toward Shinno. "Can't heal yourself?"

"What have you done?" Shinno weakly demanded.

"I've already seen through your entire chakra flow with my eyes." Sasuke said. "You didn't notice the Chidori Senbon I threw in your chakra points. I'm not killing you. I'm taking you to Orochimaru."

Shinno chuckled. "What Orochimaru wants isn't me, but this." He pressed a finger against the pillar. A small hatch opened and revealed a scroll. "The scroll I stole from Konoha." He threw the scroll at Sasuke, who caught it and pocketed it. Shinno pulled on a lever at the same place as the scroll and fell into a trapdoor. "I'm not finished yet!"

Sasuke gave chase. Naruto walked back to Amaru.

"I'm going after him." Naruto said. "You try and find the civilians and help them."

Amaru nodded.

Naruto started chasing after Sasuke. He didn't say anything, for he knew the raven-haired guy would just ignore him.

* * *

They eventually arrived in a large room with a familiar leech in a cocoon.

"Reibi." Naruto said.

Shinno laughed. "You two followed me here!? What idiots!"

Sasuke activated Chidori, only for it to be absorbed by Reibi.

"No Chidori for you, now!" Shinno laughed. "This place absorbs the chakra collected by Reibi and converts it to power! In this room, any chakra you use will be absorbed as power for Ancor Vantian! Leaving you powerless!"

Naruto turned to Sasuke. "What do you think?"

Sasuke grunted as both of them jumped down to the floor. "If this thing absorbs chakra, then he's in just as disadvantaged as we are."

"How naive." Shinno said. "Do you really believe that I would lead you here just to have your chakra sealed? Behold!" He flared what he had left of Dark Chakra into the cocoon, which reached out to him and grabbed him before gradually absorbing him. "Did you really think Ancor Vantian was nothing more than a flying fortress? Do you really think I'd meddle with something as dangerous as a Bijuu just for that? This fortress can destroy the Five Countries in a flash! It's equipped with the ultimate weapon!"

The symbols on the walls started glowing before they stopped.

"After I destroy the Five Countries, I'll reign over a great Sky Empire!"

Naruto unsheathed Muramasa. "This old bastard talks way too much."

Sasuke grunted as he brandished his Kusanagi blade. "That's something we can agree on."

They both charged toward the cocoon, which grew a lot of arms to catch them. But the two Kenjutsu users dodged some arms with agility and cut down others that were in front of them, but they were eventually caught and held up in the air and slammed against each other.

"What's the matter, brats? Can't fight me without chakra?"

Naruto chuckled. "Says the one who had to turn into a monster to fight back. Quit being so smug, you old bag of bones, you're in a worse situation than we are!"

"You're asking for it!" Shinno said as he sent multiple fists to attack Naruto. "Behold the power of the Sky Emperor!"

"This is painful to watch." Sasuke said. "To think that someone who can't measure their own power can be the Sky Emperor. It's beyond pitiful, it's comical!" He activated his cursed seal, which Reibi started absorbing.

"What are you trying to do?" Shinno asked. "Are you trying to hasten your death?"

"Quite the contrary." Naruto said as he used Kyuubi's chakra. His wounds had been healed just before Reibi started absorbing it. "Oi, Reibi! Have the power you desired so much!"

Naruto flared Kyuubi's chakra so much it flowed across the entire room.

Reibi wailed as the power became too much for it.

"Impossible! How can there be too much chakra for Reibi to absorb!?" Shinno wondered.

Naruto cut down the arm that was holding him before making an army of Kage Bunshin to charge ahead.

"I don't think so!" Shinno said as more arms aimed for the clones.

As the clones were getting destroyed, Naruto made Kyuubi Rasengan and charged.

Reibi made a barrier to protect itself, but the clash between the two freed Sasuke.

With his Sharingan activated, Sasuke gazed at the tablet behind Reibi. "I see... So that's how it is."

Sasuke went Second Cursed Stage and cut right through the large tablet with a Chidori.

"My turn!" Naruto claimed as he broke through the barrier and slammed the red Rasengan on Reibi, sending it right through the wall.

"I can't believe it's come to this." Shinno said. "But I won't die yet! So you destroyed the slate that controls Reibi." He stretched his body until he was close to Sasuke. "Indeed you are the lone survivor of the Uchiha clan." He then approached Naruto. "And you, the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. Prepare yourselves, for even I don't know what will happen when Reibi is without a leash."

Arms shot out of Shinno and destroyed the room itself. Naruto and Sasuke ran out of the room.

Naruto then arrived outside. Amaru, Hinata and the civilians were on a large hover craft. Hinata told Amaru of the lever to pull to make the craft fly.

"Get on that thing, Amaru." Naruto said as he stood next to the lever.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata said happily.

"What about Sensei?" Amaru asked.

"He merged with Reibi." Naruto said. "Now go."

"What about you? Can you fly?" Amaru asked.

"There is still something I need to do. Besides, I have greater chances of surviving this crash than you." Naruto said.

"Then I'll stay here too!" Amaru said, but Sasuke appeared behind her and threw her into the hover craft, making the people inside catch her.

Naruto pulled the lever, sending the craft flying in the air.

Sasuke grunted, but then heard an explosion and felt the platform he was on falling. He turned toward Naruto, who gave him the two-finger salute.

"Itachi's life is yours to take, not Orochimaru's. By not bringing you back right now, Konoha will be rid of one pain in the ass." Naruto said. Sasuke didn't hear him, but the blond knew the Uchiha was reading through his lips. He then saw Sasuke use his second stage to fly away.

"All right, time to clean up this mess." Naruto said as he activated four tails of Kyuubi's Chakra.

He jumped down the fortress and prepared a Bijuudama. When he shot it, the resulting blast destroyed the fortress. Suddenly, the leech shot out of the smoke and fell toward Naruto.

"**Are you serious!?"** Naruto said as he twisted his body to avoid an arm.

As the two of them continued falling, they made arms that struggled against each other. Eventually, Naruto was over the leech and roared. Kitsune appeared and grabbed Reibi before they all fell underwater.

Moments later, Naruto, no longer using Kyuubi's chakra, swam ashore.

"You're insane." Naruto chuckled at the comment as he looked at Jiraiya, who was sitting on a rock.

"You tried to peep on Tsunade and nearly died. My chances of survival here were pretty good. So who's insane?"

"It was worth it." Jiraiya said shamelessly.

Naruto laughed as they met up with the others.

"Naruto!" Sakura called. "What the hell were you thinking!?"

"I'm perfectly fine." Naruto waved off.

Sakura sighed in frustration before she calmed down. "I heard Sasuke was there."

Naruto nodded. "He was."

"We only have a few days, a week at most, to bring him back." Sakura said sadly.

"We have more time than that." Sakura looked up as she heard Naruto. "He's not gonna let this happen. Before or when Orochimaru tries to get Sasuke's body, the snake will die."

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked.

"Orochimaru will be too weak to resist Sasuke's rebellion."

Sakura smiled as she heard that.

Everyone then started heading back to Konoha.

* * *

One evening, Naruto was looking at the sunset. The sun was even redder than usual, almost like blood. And the wind felt like it was carrying an ill omen.

"Today is the day." Naruto said. "will the snake prevail? Or will the eyes seen through him?"

* * *

A few days later, Sakura came to Naruto, saying that Tsunade summoned them.

When they entered the Hokage's office, Tsunade, Shizune and Jiraiya were there.

"Good, you're here." Tsunade said. "There's been a rumor that has been spreading all over the countries like wildfire. Orochimaru died at Sasuke's hand."

Sakura was shocked at the news and almost shed tears.

"As I thought. He wouldn't let Orochimaru take his revenge from him." Naruto said. "Why tell us this, though? Do you want us to hunt him down?"

Tsunade nodded. "If there ever was a time to search for him, it's now."

"It won't be easy." Naruto said. "To find Sasuke, we have to look for the same thing as him: Itachi Uchiha."

"Going after the member of Akatsuki who is the most likely to run into Sasuke." Tsunade said. "It makes sense, but this is Itachi we are talking about."

"Maybe Ibiki could get some information out of a member of Akatsuki if we capture one." Sakura suggested.

"It's true that there's already an order to capture members of Akatsuki, when and if at all possible."

"That'll prove difficult, right?" Kakashi asked as he appeared at the doorway of the office. "Getting information out of them won't be that easy. Even the ones we've seen so far were too dangerous. Until we happen to find Itachi, all we can do is remain calm and search."

* * *

**Meanwhile**

Itachi and Kisame, who was carrying the Yonbi Jinchuuriki, were now within the same hideout that Deidara, Tobi and Souma used to seal the Sanbi. Inside, Souma, the hologram of Leader-sama and the Gedo Mazo was waiting for them.

"About time." Souma said.

"You're here." Leader said. "Now is the time to seal the Yonbi."

Kisame dropped the Yonbi Jinchuuriki on the ground and Souma immediately stood over the Jinchuuriki before giving him the killing blow, taking his soul and the Yonbi. Souma then pulled out a glowing red orb and threw it in the Statue's mouth. Moments later, the orb disappeared and the statue gained another pupil, making it six.

"Now, we only need the Rokubi, the Hachibi and the Kyuubi." Leader said.

* * *

**Back in Konoha**

"All right, let's say we find Itachi, then what?" Jiraiya asked.

"I have an idea for that, if you could give me some time." Kakashi requested.

Tsunade accepted, adjourning the meeting.

Later, that day, Team Kakashi and Team Anko, excluding the snake mistress herself, had assembled and left the village to search for Itachi.

The next day, the group stopped atop a temple.

"Alright, our mission begins now." Kakashi said. "Akatsuki is after the Bijuu and we have reason to believe that they managed to take the Sanbi shortly after we left. According to Jiraiya-sama, they may have already infiltrated Hi no Kuni to capture Naruto. Itachi is from Konoha. Three years ago, he returned to the village to capture Naruto."

"So there's a chance he'll try again?" Sai asked.

"And that Sasuke-kun will come looking for Itachi." Sakura said.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Yamato advised.

Kakashi nodded. "Here's the plan. This place will be our first center point. We'll do a five kilometer search in every direction. If we don't find anything, we'll establish a new center point and repeat the process. And so on and so forth."

"Five kilometers?" Sakura asked. "Our radios will be out of range. It's dangerous to split up like that. If we were to make contact with the enemy-"

"Sakura, don't get so stressed." Yamato interrupted.

Kakashi then summoned his ninken.

"Our voices that have much more range than radios, and our noses that can detect any danger, are at your commands." Pakkun said, since he and the other dogs had all been informed of the mission beforehand.

"Now, here are our patrol formations." Kakashi said. "Every member will be teamed up with two ninken."

Bisuke and Shiba walked up to Sakura.

Akino and Guruko teamed up with Shino.

Urushi and Uhei teamed up with Sai, who wondered if it was possible to become friends with dogs.

"Naruto, since you're Akatsuki's target, you'll be paired up with Yamato and our scout, Hinata."

"Along with Big Bark Bull." Pakkun added, gesturing to the largest ninken.

Bull barked at Naruto in greeting.

"Let's work well together, Naruto-kun." Hinata said shyly.

Naruto nodded.

"Kiba and I already have our ninken, since we've been partnered with them for years." Kakashi said.

"So we're okay!" Kiba added.

"Listen up everyone." Kakashi said. "First and foremost, you are tracking the scent of Itachi and Kisame. If you are to encounter them, mark their location and return here. Alright, let's move out! Scatter!"

Every team went off in different directions.

* * *

Naruto, Yamato, Hinata and Bull were walking in a forest. They had all notice the presence that was following them.

Yamato threw some shuriken at some tree near the hiding presence. A cloaked figure appeared. He stood up and was revealed to be Kabuto, although the left half of his face was covered by his hood.

"It looks like you noticed me." Kabuto said.

"Kabuto Yakushi, you sure have guts trying to approach us alone like that." Yamato said.

"I just wanted to have a little chat with Naruto-kun." Kabuto said.

"We won't let you get away this time, we're bringing you in." Yamato said.

"What do you want, Kabuto?" Naruto asked.

"At least you are willing to lend an ear when necessary, Naruto-kun." Kabuto commented as he seemed to be looking for something within his cloak. "I have something for you, a gift, you might say."

"What could you possibly want to give me?" Naruto asked.

Kabuto pulled out a black book. "How about all the information Orochimaru-sama gathered on Akatsuki?"

"That's suspicious in and of itself." Naruto said. "Why would you give me something like that?"

"Now that Orochimaru is dead, you want to negotiate with Konoha?" Yamato asked.

"I wouldn't be able to have negotiations with this alone. Especially not with Konoha." Kabuto said. "It is merely a gift for Naruto-kun. A token of gratitude to someone who is targeted by Akatsuki."

"Why would you be grateful to me?" Naruto asked.

"As a child, I suffered amnesia. I never knew my parents, nor the country I came from." Kabuto said. "To me, who moved across the countries as a spy, things such as 'village' and 'country' didn't mean anything. Until I served Orochimaru-sama, that is. When he died, I had no idea of who I really was." He then threw the book at Naruto's feet. "The lack of identity is something you went through as well, right, Naruto-kun?"

"Like you, I never knew my parents." Naruto admitted. "Not to mention that almost everyone in the village alienated me. Are you saying you are giving me this because I understand what you've been through?

"Unlike me, you have never doubted yourself." Kabuto said. "No matter what everyone said, you were not the Kyuubi. You were Naruto Uzumaki, an orphan who would rise above any other shinobi of his generation, and maybe even the previous and future ones. If it weren't for Orochimaru-sama's desire for the Sharingan and the fact that the Kyuubi would get in the way, you very well might have become one of Orochimaru-sama most desired containers."

"I see. So that's what you want." Naruto said, confusing his partners, as he picked up the book. "You want me to survive against Akatsuki so that we can settle things as kindred spirits."

"Exactly. Unlike you, who used your own power, I clung to Orochimaru-sama's power." He said as he lifted his hood and showed the rest of his face. His skin was turning into Orochimaru's.

The team was shocked.

"You spliced Orochimaru's remains within your body." Naruto said with widened eyes.

Kabuto took off his glasses and showed his left arm, which was completely converted. "I now understand the struggle that a Jinchuuriki goes through. However, I intend to become like you, who never doubted your identity. To do that, I have to defeat you myself. That is why I want you to survive against Akatsuki. By the time we settle things, I will have overcome Orochimaru-sama with this new body and find a new, stronger self!" He then smirked. "'Find a new self', that is something I learned from observing you, Naruto-kun. That is why I am grateful to you. Orochimaru-sama is the symbol of reincarnation. He keeps living on through my body as something I have to surpass. But, his vitality is truly amazing. Even as I talk to you, this transformation is trying to take over my body and revive Orochimaru-sama."

When Hinata looked at Kabuto through her Byakugan, she saw that a third of his body had been converted.

"I've been forcefully trying to resist this takeover." Kabuto said. "Now, I feel that I really can surpass Orochimaru-sama!"

Yamato then tried to restrain Kabuto with his Mokuton, but the snake used Kawarimi to avoid capture.

"Once I've learned to control Orochimaru-sama's power, I'll fight you again, Naruto-kun. But first, I'll take my revenge on Sasuke-kun, for killing Orochimaru-sama. Let's meet again." He then disappeared.

Immediately after that, an explosion was heard and they saw the blast. It was enormous, even at the distance between the team and the blast.

"What's that?" Hinata asked.

"Let's check it out." Naruto suggested.

Yamato agreed and they headed toward the blast.

* * *

They met up with the others at the blast zone, way after the blast was gone.

"What happened?" Naruto asked.

"There are signs that indicate that Sasuke-kun was here not too long ago." Sakura said.

Kiba nodded. "It's faint, but I smell his scent. But there are other scents as well."

"There is also the scent of someone who was in town." Shiba said. "Meaning he has an accomplice."

"That means Sasuke formed his own group." Kakashi said. "The other scent was a member of Akatsuki: Deidara."

"You mean it wasn't him that exploded back then, but a Bunshin?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi nodded. "Akatsuki members travel in pairs, meaning there are three other scents remaining. Sasuke formed a group of four."

"Can Sasuke's scent be tracked?" Naruto asked.

"It can't." Pakkun said. "The scent ends here."

"Does that mean he's dead? Or did he use a Jikukan-Ninjutsu like yours?" Naruto asked Kakashi.

Kiba, who tried to find Sasuke's scent, answered. "The latter case. I focused chakra in my nose to have a better sense of smell than a dog. I've found Sasuke!"

Kiba lead the way as everyone followed him. From what he said, Sasuke and his group were resting, meaning this was their chance to catch him. Unfortunately, they went on the move as they got closer. What's worse, Sasuke's scent was splitting up, making the Uchiha that much harder to find. Kakashi guessed that Sasuke's team had a chakra sensor that found them out.

"So be it. We can't let him get away. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto said as he made dozens of clones before they all scattered to search for Sasuke.

Naruto himself was searching through the forest in search of Sasuke, but stopped as he found himself facing a pair of Sharingan eyes. However, the person before him was taller than Sasuke.

"Long time no see, Naruto Uzumaki." Itachi greeted.

"Itachi Uchiha." Naruto said. "I don't see Kisame with you. He doesn't seem like the type to hide himself."

"That's because I am not here to fight or capture you. I simply want to speak with you." Itachi explained.

"_First Kabuto and now him? This mission is getting weirder by the minute."_ Naruto thought. "Alright, I'm all ears."

"Why are you so adamant in bringing Sasuke back to Konoha?" Itachi asked. "He's a Nuke-nin, now."

"I am aware of that, but I told my comrades that I would do what I can to bring him back." Naruto said. "While he is not a top priority, I will do my best to bring him back should I encounter him."

Suddenly, Naruto was surrounded by crows.

"Isn't this a bit much for talking?" Naruto asked, unfazed by the Genjutsu.

"I am giving you a back-up plan."

Before Naruto could ask anything, a crow forced its entire being down his throat. He started coughing after he swallowed the crow.

Suddenly, the Genjutsu stopped and Itachi disappeared in a flicker of crows.

Naruto closed his eyes for a moment before he chuckled.

"I see." Naruto said as he opened his eyes. He had a Mangekyou Sharingan in his left eye. "Kotoamatsukami: the Genjutsu that gives the target's mind false experiences without them noticing, huh? Interesting."

He then heard Kiba's voice and deactivated the Sharingan before the Inuzuka, Sakura, Kakashi and Yamato landed before him.

"What's the matter, Naruto?" Kiba asked.

Naruto shook his head. "Nothing. In my haste, I thought I saw the Sharingan, but it was a trick of the light."

Everyone accepted his excuse and went back to searching for Sasuke.

* * *

For a moment, Naruto stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around, but nobody was there. He then felt a new soul in his arsenal.

Jiraiya...

"_He died!? How!?"_ Naruto wondered. How did he even get his soul. He then placed a hand on his shoulder. Did he try to pass the torch onto him after his death?

His clones constantly found birds that had a torn piece of Sasuke's clothing, which is how they carried his scent. Every traces of Sasuke's scent in the southern part of the forest were faked by birds.

Suddenly, Naruto received the memories of a clone that came in contact with Sasuke, but dispelled to prevent being hit by the Chidori.

"One of my Bunshin found Sasuke and his group. This way!" He said as he changed directions, with everyone following him.

However, Tobi soon stood in their way.

"Hi there!" Tobi said cheerfully. "I never imagined I'd meet up with Konoha all the way out here. Let's see...two, four, six... There's eight of you and only one me. That's not very fair."

"A member of Akatsuki." Yamato said.

"This one isn't part of Orochimaru's files." Naruto said. "This is a newer member."

"That's right! Name's Tobi! Nice to meet you all!" Tobi said.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked. "Akatsuki moves around in pairs."

"Deidara-senpai blew himself up trying to kill Sasuke." Tobi said. "Surely, you saw the giant blast? But enough about that, what kind of game should we play?"

"Why are you holding us off? Is Sasuke that important to Akatsuki?" Naruto asked.

"It's not to Akatsuki that he's important to, but to Itachi-senpai." Tobi said. "Itachi-senpai is sick and wants to have one final battle with Sasuke-kun. The least I can do for him is prevent any interruption."

"Then we have to hurry." Yamato said. "Everyone, formation B!"

Everyone braced themselves.

"Oh, you guys are getting serious?" Tobi asked before he started doing stretches. "Then I'll get serious too!"

Naruto scoffed before Sakura used her super strength to launch Naruto high in the air. Tobi looked at Naruto's altitude in awe before he realized the decoy and saw that he was surrounded by Kiba, Akamaru and Sakura while Hinata, Shino, Sai, Kakashi and Yamato rushed past the battle to get Sasuke.

"Three against one!?" Tobi asked as he dodged the trio's attacks. "That's not fair!" Suddenly, he looked up and saw Naruto fall toward him with a Rasengan in hand. "_They_ were the decoy!?" Naruto then hit Tobi with the Rasengan. "You got me!"

But Tobi wasn't in the place Naruto hit. Tobi shot out from within the tree. "Not! Ninpo: Tousenbo no Jutsu!" He then disappeared.

They all decided to catch up to the rest of the group and found them being held off by Tobi.

"Well? Well? Well? What should we play next?" Tobi asked eagerly.

"Formation A!" Yamato said as wood pillar rose from the ground and tried to restrain Tobi, who kept dodging.

Kiba and Akamaru charged and tried to attack Tobi with the Gatsuuga.

Tobi dodged the two drills before Naruto was instantly in front of him and swiped Muramasa, but the blade fazed through him. The moment Naruto jumped away, Tobi was restrained by wood.

"It hurts..." Tobi whined.

"This will hold you tight." Yamato said.

But Tobi managed to slip through the restrains. "Well? I'm pretty flexible, you know." He said as he did stretches.

"Our attacks were spot on." Kiba said. "How is he dodging them?"

"He's not." Naruto said. "My blade fazed right through him like he wasn't even there."

"So he's only pretending to dodge. He's letting both the attackers and the Jutsu pass through him. Is that what you mean, Naruto?" Shino asked.

Naruto nodded.

"Maybe it's a Bunshin or a Genjutsu that forces us to see images of him." Sakura supplied.

"I-I thought the same thing, so I extended the range of my Byakugan and searched the area for any other chakra, but his is the only one here." Hinata said.

"Then it's a Jutsu that's unique to him." Kakashi said. "Shino."

"Already on it." Shino said as he unleashed his bugs.

"Yikes! Are you from the Aburame clan!?" Tobi asked. "These swarms of bugs are nasty!"

"I've never seen you so pumped up, Shino." Kiba commented.

"It's only natural." Shino said. "Why? Because I was left out of the last Sasuke Retrieval Mission. Go!" He sent his swarm forward.

"That's so nasty!" Tobi said as he dodged the swarm.

When Tobi landed on another tree, the swarm scattered and surrounded him.

"Hijutsu: Mushidama!" Shino said as the bugs closed in on Tobi.

"W-Wait!" Tobi pleaded before he was swarmed.

"Hinata." Kakashi called out.

"He's definitely trapped by Shino-kun's bugs." Hinata said as she looked at Tobi with her Byakugan.

"Yamato!" Kakashi said.

Yamato immediately had wood pillars ready to attack.

Suddenly, Tobi disappeared altogether.

"How? My insects suddenly lost track of his chakra." Shino said.

"Did he use the Shunshin no Jutsu?" Sakura asked.

"If it was, my bugs would have followed him." Shino answered.

"_A Jikukan-Ninjutsu?"_ Kakashi thought.

Hinata's eyes widened. "Over there!" She said as she turned around, with everyone following suit.

"Howdy!" Tobi waved cheerfully.

Suddenly, a flytrap appeared next to Tobi and revealed Zetsu.

"How did it go?" Tobi asked.

"What is that?" Sakura asked.

"That's Zetsu." Naruto said. "From what Orochimaru's files say, this plant-like man is Akatsuki's spy."

"Sasuke won and Itachi is dead." White Zetsu said.

Everyone was shocked.

"That's unbelievable!...Not really." Tobi said before his voice gained a deeper tone. "It was as I expected."

"Sasuke's unconscious, too." Zetsu said. "His life might be hanging on a thread."

Tobi looked at the Konoha team with his revealed right eye, which now had a Sharingan visible on it. "I shall continue my fight with you another time."

The group was shocked to see a Sharingan.

Zetsu sank underground.

"See you later." Tobi said before he waved an arm over his body, which disappeared as the arm waved over it.

"We must reach Sasuke before them." Kakashi said as he went on top of a tree to look at the surroundings. "Hinata! Look at four o'clock!"

Hinata activated her Byakugan. "I can see strong chakra spread over a large area about ten kilometers ahead. The forest surrounding the area is burning with black flames."

"Itachi used black flames to escape Jiraiya's Jutsu when we were searching for Godaime-sama, three years ago." Naruto supplied.

"Everyone, move!" Kakashi ordered as soon as he heard Naruto's words.

The group rushed to the burning forest.

"I've got their scents!" Kiba said. "They've reached Sasuke's position!"

"Naruto, are those the same flames Itachi used?" Kakashi asked. He knew of Amaterasu, but never saw it for himself.

"Without a doubt." Naruto answered.

Kakashi immediately gave the signal to stop. "Those flames will burn anything they touch, with nothing being able to extinguish them. Yamato!"

Yamato intertwined his hands. "Doton: Doryuukatsu!"

When he slammed a hand on the ground, the ground beneath the forest itself split apart, giving everyone a clear passage.

The group, except Yamato to keep the Jutsu going, rushed into the passage to retrieve Sasuke.

However, when they arrived where Sasuke's scent stopped, he was nowhere to be found. The building that had been in this place was completely destroyed.

"_So, this is the result of a battle between two Uchiha?" _Kakashi thought.

"I can't find any other chakra than ours." Hinata said.

"I still sense his scent, but..." Kiba trailed off.

"We were too late." Kakashi said grimly. "But, we won't stop until his scent is completely gone."

Everyone scattered around the ruins. But Sasuke was nowhere to be found. The group headed back to Konoha.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

Sasuke and his group, along with Tobi, Kisame and Souma, were around a table, preparing the next plan. Apparently, Tobi told Sasuke something that made him join Akatsuki.

Suigetsu was a young man with white hair, purple eyes and shark-like teeth. He wore a purple, sleeveless shirt and blue pants. He also had Zabuza's Kubikiribocho strapped to his back.

Jugo was a tall, muscular young man with spiky orange hair and red-orange eyes. He wore black pants and a tan shirt.

Karin was a young woman with crimson eyes, a pair of glasses and red hair in an unusual style: short and spiky on the right side while long and flat on the left side. She wore a lavender uniform, black shorts and thigh-high stockings with black sandals.

Sasuke's only difference in attire was a grey high-collared short-sleeved shirt. His hair also hung over his forehead.

"Taka will destroy Konoha." Sasuke claimed.

Tobi sat on the table. "You can say that all you want, but how will you accomplish that?"

"My targets are the Elders." Sasuke said. "Nothing else matters."

"If you target a king, the soldiers will be there to defend him. It won't be that easy." Kisame said. "Plus, your little 'Taka' group doesn't seem strong enough."

"I wouldn't underestimate us, Kisame-senpai." Suigetsu smirked. "Our little game still isn't finished. This time, I'll get serious." He said as he brandished Kubikiribocho and jumped over the table to attack Kisame.

"Souma!" Tobi called out.

Souma immediately stood between Suigetsu and Kisame and used Koton to turn his hand into steel and held Kubikiribocho by the blade.

Karin rose her glasses to the bridge of her nose. She didn't like that Souma guy. Unlike everyone else, his chakra had two different tints. While people's chakra were usually warm or dark, or felt like their Kekkei Genkai, Souma's chakra was the warmest she'd ever felt, but his core was far darker. It didn't make sense.

"Someone needs some discipline." Souma commented before he pushed the blade away, making Suigetsu stumble and comically fall off the table.

"Suigetsu, you fucking idiot!" Karin screamed. "This isn't the place for that!"

"My only goal is getting Samehada!" Suigetsu countered as he rubbed the bump on his head. "Getting it was the only reason I joined Sasuke!"

"What do we do, Sasuke?" Jugo asked.

"Fight Kisame if you want, Suigetsu. You won't be able to defeat him yet, anyway." Sasuke said.

"Don't say that." Suigetsu said cheerfully. "One day, you'll get some shark fin soup!"

"Akatsuki is lacking manpower right now, so let's avoid unnecessary skirmishes." Tobi said.

"Then you shouldn't be looking down on others." Suigetsu smirked.

"Our goals coincide." Tobi said. "That's why Taka will cooperate with Akatsuki from now on."

"And what do we get out of this?" Sasuke asked.

"We'll share the Bijuu." Tobi offered.

"_Fat chance."_ Souma thought.

"Bijuu?" Sasuke asked.

"Kyuubi, the fox sealed within Naruto, is a Bijuu." Souma answered. "Sabaku no Gaara also had the Ichibi, another Bijuu, sealed within him."

"So Kyuubi is not the only one of its kind?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, there is only one Kyuubi no Kitsune, but there are nine Bijuu, from the Ichibi to the Kyuubi." Tobi said.

"And you would share them with us?" Sasuke asked. "How generous."

"But, if you betray Akatsuki, I am sure Souma will be happy to have your Sharingan." Tobi threatened.

"You would transplant my eyes on a non-Uchiha?" Sasuke asked with an edge in his voice.

Souma chuckled. "Nothing like that. When I kill someone, I automatically absorb their soul and chakra, giving me the abilities they have. Your Sharingan is no different."

Sasuke stayed silent for a moment before he grunted.

"Akatsuki already has six of the nine Bijuu." Kisame said.

"Akatsuki and Taka will split up the search, that's our top priority." Tobi said.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "You've yet to capture the Kyuubi, correct?"

"Taka will search for the Hachibi." Tobi said. "Akatsuki will deal with the rest. That includes Naruto."

Behind his mask, Souma smirked. Soon... all the Bijuu will be gathered.


	15. Chapter 15: Number six and Senjutsu

**Leonardobluesummers: In Canon, Jiraiya's soul reached out to Naruto, as if to pass the torch. When he did that here, the Power of Dominance gave him the short end of the stick.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 15: Number six and Senjutsu**

Naruto and the others were headed back to Konoha, but Katsuyu appeared before them. They were given another urgent mission.

"Kakashi-san, you must report back to the village for a briefing." Katsuyu said.

Kakashi nodded before he turned to the others. "We're up against the clock. Yamato will act as captain for Team Kakashi and depart immediately for Mount Katsuragi."

Everyone nodded and split off. Kakashi and Team Anko returned to the village while Naruto and the rest of Team Kakashi left for Mount Katsuragi.

* * *

As they approached the Tsuchigumo clan's mountain fortress, they saw many kunai on the ground.

"These aren't made for battle." Yamato said. "Sai, what do you think?"

"There are fresh footprints headed for the fortress." Sai reported. "There are four enemies in total."

Yamato nodded. "These are the traps of the fortress. It looks like the enemy was able to dodge them all."

"But there must be more, right?" Sakura asked.

"We simply need to move along the tracks of the traps." Yamato said.

The team continued toward the fortress until they reach a canyon. Yamato used his Mokuton to make a bridge for them to cross.

They reach the top of the mountain and found a wounded old man.

Sakura crouched next to the old man and check his pulse. "It's faint, but I can help him."

Yamato looked around the place. "It looks like we just missed the enemy. Sai, go check the surroundings."

Sai nodded and used his ink rats to look around.

As Sakura healed the old man, he regained consciousness.

"We were dispatched from Konoha to serve as bodyguards." Yamato said. "Are you Hotaru-sama's servant?"

"I...am Tonbei." The old man, Tonbei, said. "Hotaru-sama is on her way to the hidden mountain village of the Tsuchigumo clan."

"There's an escape hole hidden in the mansion with its entrance crumbled." Sai reported.

"Hotaru-sama went through there..." Tonbei said.

"I understand. We'll follow after her." Yamato said. "Sakura, stay here and continue treating Tonbei-dono. Naruto, Sai, we're leaving immediately."

Everyone nodded before the trio left.

* * *

They eventually caught up to two people.

The first one was a tall, thin young man with pale golden eyes and brown hair that covered the left half of his face. He wore a long, light blue kimono adorned with a small emblem of three bubbles on his back, and a pair of grey pants underneath, with an orange sash. His kimono was hung low, revealing his torso. In his kimono, they saw a bamboo jug.

The second person was a young woman with wavy blond hair that goes to her shoulders and dark-green eyes. She wore a light-violet and white top, black shorts, a black skirt, black high boots and light violet wristbands.

The team landed next to the duo.

"We are the shinobi of Konoha sent to protect Hotaru-sama." Yamato said. "But Tonbei only mentioned Hotaru-sama, he never said there was anyone with her."

"Is Tonbei safe?" Hotaru asked worriedly.

Yamato nodded. "He is under the care of our medical specialist."

Hotaru sighed in relief.

"From now on, we'll be escorting you as well." Yamato said.

"Then it's fine to leave the rest up to you." The young man said as he walked away.

"Utakata-sama!" Hotaru called out as she ran ahead of Utakata and stood in front of him. "Can we at least go to the hidden village together?"

"These guys are strong. You'll be fine if you rely on them." Utakata said.

"I don't need a bodyguard, I need someone to teach me some Jutsu! Please come with me!" Hotaru pleaded.

Utakata made a large bubble around him, through a pipe, and floated away.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. This chakra he used...it had the feeling of a Bijuu. This guy is a Jinchuuriki!

"I'll train more seriously than I ever have before!" Hotaru insisted. "No matter how hard the train gets, I promise that I'll never cry! Utakata-shisho, you baka!"

The trio allowed her some time before they all continued on their way. Hotaru refused any help and ran ahead. The Konoha trio decided to follow her from afar.

* * *

Eventually, they arrived at the village. But there was a problem. The village was empty, like no one lived here.

The Konoha team appeared next to Hotaru, to her shock.

"You followed me here!? I told you I didn't need help!" She growled.

"Protecting you is our mission." Naruto said. "More importantly, don't you think the village's situation is odd?"

Hotaru calmed down as she looked around worriedly.

As they walked around, Naruto, Sai and Yamato started feeling some presences. The village wasn't empty, the people were hiding.

When they arrived at the area that had a large bell, they were greeted by a man who introduced himself as the representative of the village.

"I was given specific instructions from En no Gyouja-sama during times of urgency." He said. "Please leave the rest to us."

"Then, we'll be on our way." Yamato bowed.

"Now, now, we have yet to show our gratitude for your efforts." The representative insisted.

"We appreciated it, but our comrade is at Mount Katsuragi, treating an injured man." Yamato said.

The man nodded. "I see. How unfortunate."

Yamato turned to Sai and Naruto. "Well, let's head back to Sakura."

The duo nodded and they all walked away.

* * *

"Something wasn't right in that village." Naruto said as they walked in the forest. "I'm making a few clones to observe the situation."

"No need." Yamato said. "You are right to believe what you think. Let's go."

When they returned to the village, they met up with the representative, who was shocked to see them. There was also a building that had been blown up.

"Why are you back?" He asked.

"We were worried." Yamato said. "We came back to see if anything happened. Looks like we were spot on. Where is Hotaru-sama?"

The man pointed at the destroyed building. "I hid her there for her safety, but I do not know what happened. With everyone trying to clean up the mess we...haven't made any search."

"When did you last see her?" Yamato asked.

"Not too long ago. After you brought her to me, I showed her to this building."

"If that's true, then not much time as passed." Sai commented. "We should hurry."

"Yeah." Naruto agreed before the trio left the village and searched around the forest.

"If I may ask something, Yamato-taichou?" Sai asked. When Yamato looked at him, he continued. "Our mission is to guide Hotaru-sama to the Tsuchigumo village, right?"

Yamato nodded. "Indeed, but that doesn't mean anything if she isn't safe. If the village can't protect her, then it's our duty to protect her. Have I answered your question?" At Sai's nod, Yamato requested. "Then please do a wide-area search of the vicinity."

Sai landed on the ground and made many ink rats to search the area.

They eventually found Hotaru, along with Utakata. Both of them were restrained by a group of Kirigakure hunter-nin.

Naruto appeared next to the closest Hunter-nin and knocked him out with Muramasa's hilt to the back of the neck, allowing Utakata to free himself from his restraints and to move next to the Konoha group.

"Kirigakure Hunter-nin, you are holding a citizen of Hi no Kuni hostage. Let her go at once!" Naruto demanded.

"Naruto-san!" Hotaru said happily.

"That won't happen." The one holding Hotaru hostage said.

"If I can restrain them all, can you make a bubble to pull Hotaru away from them?" Naruto whispered at Utakata, who nodded.

Immediately, the group of Hunter-nin were restrained by Chakra Chains. Utakata then made a big bubble that floated Hotaru toward them. when Hotaru landed next to the Konoha group, Yamato freed her from her restraints.

"Shinobi of Konoha." They heard someone call out. Another Hunter-nin appeared. "I am Tsurugi, I lead this group from the shadows. Please free my men."

Naruto retracted his chains, freeing Tsurugi's men.

"Thank you for your understanding." Tsurugi said. "Perhaps we can negotiate. Along with Utakata."

Yamato nodded in agreement before the three of them walked away to speak in private. A little later, Yamato returned by himself, worrying Hotaru.

"How did it go?" Naruto asked.

"Pretty well, all things considered." Yamato answered. "Tsurugi and Utakata are talking in private, but they'll return shortly."

Eventually, Tsurugi and Utakata came back as well.

"Utakata-shisho!" Hotaru called out.

"I told you to stop calling me that!" Utakata yelled.

There was a moment of silence before Tsurugi spoke.

"Shinobi of Konoha, as per our deal, my men and I will withdraw. Let us continue with the hope that both of our missions end with success. However, we will monitor you from a distance."

"Understood." Yamato said.

With that, the Hunter-nin left.

Yamato sighed in relief before turning to his comrades. "What next?"

"It would be unwise to take her back to the Tsuchigumo village." Sai said.

Yamato nodded in agreement. "It can no longer be considered a hidden village, so her safety isn't guaranteed there."

"We should probably return to Mount Katsuragi and join up with Sakura." Naruto suggested. "We've already made her wait longer than necessary."

Yamato and Sai nodded in agreement.

"I want to go back there as well." Hotaru said. "I want to see if Tonbei is alright."

"We must also expect those who want the Kinjutsu to return there as well." Yamato said.

Everyone nodded and returned to Mount Katsuragi.

* * *

When they returned, Hotaru remained at Tonbei's side.

"I am happy to see you safe, Tonbei." Hotaru said, smilling in relief.

"I should be the one to say that, Hotaru-sama." Tonbei said. "People of Konoha, Utakata-dono, I cannot thank you enough for what you have for us."

"Tonbei-dono, the Tsuchigumo village had been infiltrated by thieves." Yamato said.

"I see... This is why you have returned?" Tonbei asked.

"Yes." Yamato said.

"For thieves to go so far to get the Kinjutsu... Perhaps it would be better to destroy it." Tonbei said, shocking Hotaru.

"What are you saying, Tonbei!?" She demanded. "I protect the Kinjutsu to carry the dream of my Oji-sama!"

"How does having a Kinjutsu transplanted in your body carry on a dream?" Utakata asked.

The Konoha team was shocked.

"Did you say 'transplanted'?" Naruto asked.

Utakata nodded. "Hotaru showed it to me herself. It's monstrous for her to be a tool like this."

"I requested to have the Kinjutsu transplanted!" Hotaru claimed.

"To carry the dream of your grandfather? How idiotic." Utakata said.

"Utakata-dono is right about the transplantation being monstrous. The Kinjutsu must be destroyed." Tonbei said before he took some blood from his wound and made some handsigns. A bat appeared before it transformed into a scroll.

"Is this...?" Naruto asked.

Tonbei nodded. "En no Gyouja-sama never would have transplanted the Kinjutsu into Hotaru without having a way to remove it."

Utakata's eyes widened at that statement.

"Once the Kinjutsu is removed from Hotaru-sama's body, it will lose all of its power. People of Konoha, will you help me in removing the Kinjutsu?"

"We can't make such a decision like that." Yamato said. "We have to get Hokage-sama's permission."

"Hold on!" Hotaru protested. "I haven't decided if I want to get rid of it!"

"But Hotaru-sama, at this rate, your life will be in even more danger than the Kinjutsu." Tonbei insisted.

"It's my life!" Hotaru said before Utakata grabbed her by the shoulders and slapped her.

"Get a hold of yourself!" He said.

"Utakata-sama..." Hotaru muttered before she became angry. "Are you telling me to abandon my pride in my clan!?" She said before she ran outside.

"I'll bring her back." Naruto said before he chased after Hotaru.

When he caught up to her, she was praying in front of a tombstone.

"Everyone's worried after seeing you run off like that." Naruto said as he stepped next to her.

"Indeed, that's why we should go back, Hotaru." Utakata said from behind them.

"Utakata-sama..." Hotaru muttered as she turned to the man she wanted as her teacher. Sakura was standing next to Utakata.

"What are you doing? Let's go." Utakata urged. "If you really want what's best for your clan, then you don't need to rely on such a thing. Great power only brings great sadness. Don't you agree, Naruto?"

Naruto nodded, knowing he was talking about the Jinchuuriki's burden.

"There's another way to do this." Hotaru said. "Within the Tsuchigumo clan, there's a man named Shiranami. If we could find him, he could take care of the Kinjutsu. Shiranami was Oji-sama's student, or the student of a student, really. Shiranami-sama's father, Hatou-sama, was Oji-sama's first student. Apparently, he was a brilliant student with exceptional Ninjutsu skills. Even still, Shiranami-sama was said to be even more skilled. But, during the Great Wars, Hatou-sama was killed while protecting the Kinjutsu. Oji-sama was worried about Shiranami-sama, due to his young age, so he let him leave the village. According to Oji-sama, if they were both still here, things would be different."

"With the thieves on your tracks, we can't search for Shiranami." Utakata said.

"Then I'll go look for him." Naruto offered. "With my Kage Bunshin, I'll find him in a flash."

"Wait a minute, Naruto." Sakura said. "This is not a decision we can make."

"I disagree." Naruto said. "This is Tsuchigumo heiress' desire to bring Shiranami to her. Doing so will also make the Kinjutsu's fate the decision of the Tsuchigumo clan, not Konoha, as it should be."

Hotaru bowed. "Thank you, Naruto-san."

Naruto nodded before he left. As he made dozens of Kage Bunshin to help him, he went from places to places to search for Shiranami.

* * *

After multiple towns had no idea of who Shiranami was, he ran into an old man who told him Shiranami was training by a waterfall.

When Naruto found said waterfall, he saw a shack next to it. He approached the shack and knocked on the door.

"It's open." He heard from inside.

Naruto entered and saw a man with shaggy black hair with bangs that hang over his eyes and framed his face. He also had pronounced creases underneath his eyes. He wore a high-collared blue cloak, a black top that stops mid-chest and casual dark pants.

"Shiranami of the Tsuchigumo clan?" Naruto asked.

The man nodded. "That's me. Can I help you?"

Naruto nodded as he stepped closer. As he did, he was suddenly restrained. Four people appeared around him.

"Dream!" A large man with a ponytail said.

"Phantom!" A guy with a cleft on his chin said.

"Bubbles!" Someone with a male voice but female-like appearance said.

"Shadow!" A large man with sideburns said.

Immediately, Naruto was trapped in a bright purple barrier that rapidly drained his chakra.

As Naruto fell to the ground, Shiranami left the shack.

"So...that's how it is." Naruto growled as he struggled to get up.

"That's right." The one with the cleft chuckled. "Soon, boss will get the Kinjutsu from the girl."

"But if we were to let you go, all our efforts will be wasted." The androgynous man said.

"Don't say too much." The one with the sideburns said.

"I've already heard enough." Naruto said as he used Kyuubi's chakra and got up to his knees, shocking the quartet.

The androgynous man quickly threw some explosive kunai at Naruto. The resulting explosion destroyed the shack.

Naruto, free of his bonds, glared at the quartet.

"This guy...he's strong!" The one with the ponytail said.

"Don't panic!" The one with the sideburns said. "Stick to the plan and use the next Jutsu."

Before they could do so, however, they were restrained by Chakra Chains.

"As if I'd let you make another move." Naruto said.

"And here I thought you'd need my help." Naruto heard Utakata's voice behind him.

"Why are you here?" Naruto asked.

"I heard everything." Utakata ignored the question and talked to the quartet. "To think Shiranami himself is the leader of those thieves. Where did you take Hotaru!?" He then flared his Bijuu's chakra.

The pressure of both Bijuu chakra was too much for one of them.

"The village!" The one with the cleft shouted in a panic. "Boss is taking her back to the village!"

"Shut up!" The one with the sideburns demanded.

Utakata looked at Naruto. "You're the one restraining them. Catch up to me where you're done with them."

Naruto nodded and Utakata hurried to the village.

"This will be quick." Naruto said as he made four Kage Bunshin and had them kill the quartet.

"Now, to save Hotaru." Naruto said as he hurried to the village.

* * *

Naruto caught up to Utakata and arrived at the village.

The village was barren.

As they walked around, they heard and saw a ball fall toward them. A little girl got out of the house and went to retrieve the ball.

Naruto picked up the ball and handed it to the girl.

"Thank you, Onii-chan!" The girl said. "I have something for you!" She pulled out an explosive tag.

The tag exploded. Fortunately, Naruto managed to get it out of the girl's hand and Utakata had made a bubble that protected them from the explosion. When the smoke dissipated, they were surrounded by the villagers. The girl walked away from the Jinchuuriki duo.

"What the hell is going on?" Naruto wondered.

"It seems the people are being manipulated." Utakata said as he took notice of the Kanji for 'control' that were on the people's bodies.

The villagers started attacking them, but the Jinchuuriki dodged every attack. They couldn't just attack civilians like that.

They eventually arrived at the town's bell.

"We can't keep this up much longer without hurting them." Utakata said.

As the villagers closed in on them, a kunai with a flashbang tag was shot between the two groups and exploded. As they were blinded, Sai covered the villager's eyes with ink before Yamato made a wall of wood to block the villagers.

"Naruto!" Sakura called out.

"You guys..." Naruto said.

"We have to hurry to Hotaru-sama." Yamato said.

Everyone nodded and continued on their way.

Utakata felt a flow of chakra and made bubbles. The bubbles were being drawn somewhere. The group followed the bubbles to the gathering point.

When they arrived at the gathering point, Hotaru was just standing, her back revealed to the world along with the Kinjutsu transplanted in her. She didn't seem disturbed by the chakra entering her body.

Shiranami was smiling. "Ah, you are all here. That's good, because I've always preferred a large audience."

"What are you doing to her!?" Sakura demanded.

"I'm just fulfilling her wish." Shiranami waved off. "Now that I have the key to the Tsuchigumo clan's revival, I'll release the Kinjutsu.

"The key?" Utakata asked.

"Hotaru didn't have the skill to use the Kinjutsu. She only has the ability to absorb the energy of nature. Therefore, I'll simply invoke it from the outside." Shiranami explained. "All in the purpose of regaining the pride of the Tsuchigumo clan, which was tainted by blood! As long as I have the Kinjutsu, nobody will stand in my way! I'll build a nation greater than the Five Ninja Countries!"

"Have you lost your mind!?" Utakata demanded.

"Lost my mind? I am quite capable of fighting the Five Countries! And with this Kinjutsu, it is not so foolish to take on the entire world."

"Hotaru trusted you." Utakata said. "Going so far as to carve out that seal while protecting the Kinjutsu... For the sake of protecting the village, that was what she entrusted you with!"

Shiranami laughed. "It's true that I am a man who would kill his father for his own selfish reason, but who are you to talk? I've read your Bingo Book entry, you know: A Nuke-nin of Kirigakure who abandoned his village. I won't take lectures about villages from someone who left his own! I wouldn't give myself these lectures, let alone someone who is just like me!"

Utakata stayed silent.

Shiranami laughed. "Well, since Hotaru went through such lengths for her clan, then I could at least name my country after the Tsuchigumo clan. I'm not a thief, after all. I'll think of the clan that raised me and strive for its revival! I guess I am just _that_ splendid of a man!"

"It's true that my attachment to my village is no more." Utakata said. "But what about Hotaru?"

"She'll live...as a weapon for the Kinjutsu." Shiranami chuckled. "She will be the container that will awaken the Kinjutsu!"

"Container... Container!" Utakata growled.

"That's right. Now, watch her drown in chakra and destroy the village!"

Utakata charged toward Hotaru, but Shiranami used his Binding Jutsu to keep him still. Utakata then flared his Bijuu's chakra, undoing the bind.

"What!?" Shiranami said before Naruto appeared next to him and punched him in the face, sending him flying.

Utakata stepped up to Hotaru. "Hotaru, are you alright?"

Hotaru was breathing with panic.

Shiranami chuckled. "It's useless. I control her with my Jibaku Jutsu. Now, step away from her."

Utakata had no choice but to comply, due to Shiranami's control over Hotaru.

Shiranami approached Hotaru. "Now, let's see the dread this Kinjutsu brings. Now, Fury!" He slammed his hand on the ground before Hotaru was surrounded by light, followed by an explosion.

Yamato managed to protect himself, Sakura and Sai with Mokuton: Mokujoheki, but Utakata and Naruto were hit by the blast.

Hotaru was shocked at the damage she caused and started crying.

"Hey now, I have no need for a weapon with feelings." Shiranami said before he bolstered his control over Hotaru. "Now, one more time. Destroy the village!"

"Not...a chance." Naruto said as he got up.

"Naruto!" Sakura called out.

"We have to get Hotaru back!" Utakata said as he also got up.

"How persistent." Shiranami smirked. "Want another taste of the Kinjutsu?"

"That won't happen!" Naruto said as he used a Chakra Chain to attack Shiranami, who jumped in the air to dodge before having to dodge wood pillars.

When he landed on the ground, an ink snake retrained his ankles.

"Shannaro!" That was more than enough distraction for Sakura to punch him in the face, sending him flying.

Suddenly, Hotaru started glowing.

"Oh my, I do believe she's overflown with nature's energy." Shiranami chuckled before he tried to rectify the problem, only for his bind to break. "No! If we don't stop her, she'll explode! I'm getting out of here!" He then ran away.

"Get back here!" Naruto shouted as he gave chase.

When Naruto caught up to Shiranami in the forest, he immediately stood in his way.

"You're not getting away." Naruto said as he unsheathed Muramasa.

Shiranami waved his finger around to make a kanji. "Jibakujutsu: Iwa!"

Naruto was immobilized for a moment, but used Kyuubi's chakra to free himself.

Suddenly, a light rose from where the others were before it was engulfed into a weird substance that turned into a six-tailed slug.

"What is this?" Shiranami wondered before he was stabbed from behind.

"That's a Bijuu." Naruto said. "And soon they will be part of a being that will rise above the world, just like you."

Shiranami died as Naruto took his soul.

When he returned to the gathering point, Utakata was carrying Hotaru in his arms.

"It's over?" Naruto asked. "I could see the Rokubi from where I was."

"I contained the explosion." Utakata explained. "That seems to have destroyed the Kinjutsu without endangering Hotaru."

"Thank you, Shisho." Hotaru said.

Utakata smiled. "What a troublesome student you are."

With that, everyone returned to the village for the night.

The next day, Team Kakashi left the village.

* * *

Utakata was walking around the forest to find the Kirigakure Anbu, but was shocked when he found a bloodied Anbu mask.

"Rokubi Jinchuuriki." Akatsuki's Leader said as his six bodies appeared behind Utakata.

"Are you the ones who killed Tsurugi?" Utakata demanded.

"I will build a world of peace. For that purpose, you are necessary. Or more accurately, the Bijuu within you."

Utakata braced himself. "So that's how it is..."

"You're mine, Rokubi." Leader said before another one of his bodies shot missiles at Utakata, who tried running away. When the smoke form the explosions cleared, Utakata was using the Bijuu cloak.

"There is the power we seek..." Pain said.

The long-haired Pain charged with black rods in hands. Utakata sent at tail at him, only for Pain to jump over and stab the tail with both rods. Focusing chakra through the rods and into Utakata paralyzed the Jinchuuriki, but he still managed to spit acid at Pain, only for the Round-faced Pain to land between the two and create a barrier to absorb the chakra.

Utakata growled before he was lifted high in the air. A giant chameleon, summoned by another pain, became visible with its tongue around Utakata.

"It's been captured." The first Pain declared.

"Seems a bit too easy for me." Souma commented from a nearby tree.

Suddenly, Utakata became slippery like a slug and slipped away from the tongue. Pulling himself closer to his stabbed tail, he attacked the both Pains, freeing his tail. The chameleon to lash out its tongue again, only for Utakata to wrap himself around the tongue and spewed acid on it, causing the chameleon to wail and dispel. Two other Pains carried the injured ones away.

"I suppose this much should be expected of a Jinchuuriki." The first Pain said before landing before Utakata, holding out a single hand. "Now come, Rokubi!"

Utakata charged toward Pain, only to be thrown backwards the moment he has inches away, crashing into a few trees. Utakata threw the trees at Pain, only for them to stop just short and fall. Utakata jumped over the trees and attacked Pain, only for him to jump in the air and throw a rob at each tail, making Utakata roared as he was, once again, paralyzed.

Rockets were shot at Utakata, causing a big explosion. When the smoke dissipated, Utakata was in the crater, his lower body crushed by rocks.

"Hotaru...Live on." Utakata said as he made bubbles that would reach Hotaru.

Utakata looked up to see Souma standing over him. Souma crouched next to the Jinchuuriki and snapped his neck.

Souma then faced Leader. "The Hachibi is next, correct?"

"I already have someone getting the Hachibi. I shall personally chase after the Kyuubi." Leader said.

"To think Akatsuki is so close to its goal..." Souma said. _"So close to my rise, that is."_

* * *

A few days later, Sasuke returned with the unconscious Hachibi Jinchuuriki in tow. The Hachibi Jinchuuriki was a tall and muscular dark-skinned man with blond hair and a goatee, wearing sunglasses and had the tattoo of a bull's horn on his left cheek. He looked scorched, like Sasuke left him to burn.

Jugo, who turned into a child for some reason, was carrying an unconscious Karin and...an unconscious Suigetsu that seemed to be stuck in a gooey form.

"I've brought the Hachibi Jinchuuriki, as promised." Sasuke said as he dropped the Hachibi in front of Tobi and Souma.

Tobi nodded. "I knew you were up to the task."

Sasuke said nothing as he and Jugo walked away.

"Where are you going?" Tobi asked.

"My first priority is to heal." Sasuke said. "After that...Konoha!"

Tobi looked at Sasuke until he was out of sight. "When people know love, there is also a risk of knowing hatred." Tobi turned to Souma, who nodded.

Souma stood over the Jinchuuriki and snapped his neck, only for the body to turn into an octopus' tentacle.

"They were tricked." Tobi said.

"To push them so far and get away after faking defeat." Souma said. "This Jinchuuriki is no joke."

"Indeed. This Jinchuuriki is said to be the perfect Jinchuuriki, with skills going beyond his powers as a Jinchuuriki. I will have Zetsu search for him, but Kisame will deal with him this time."

* * *

**Back with Naruto**

Naruto and the others returned to Konoha a few nights ago. One morning, Kakashi knocked on the window next to his bed, saying Tsunade called for him. When they went to the Hokage Tower, Gamabunta was there with Gamakichi on his head.

"Boss Bunta? Kichi?" Naruto said.

"Hey, Naruto." Gamakichi greeted with a saddened tone.

"_Ah, they must have found out about Jiraiya."_ Naruto thought before he asked. "What are you doing here so early?"

"Tsunade will explain." Gamabunta said.

"Alright." Naruto said as he entered the tower.

When he reached the Hokage office, Tsunade and Shizune were there, as usual, along with Sakura, Sai and a couple of toads, one of which was small, old and on top of a saddled toad. Sakura, Shizune and Tsunade were looking at him sadly.

"Okay...that's a grim atmosphere." Naruto commented. "What's going on?"

"Is that Jiraiya-chan's apprentice?" The old toad asked.

"Yes. This is Naruto Uzumaki." Tsunade said. "The Child of Prophecy we spoke of earlier, right?"

"'Child of Prophecy?'" Naruto repeated.

Tsunade gestured to the old toad. "This is Fukasaku-sama, one of the Two Great Sages of Mount Myoboku. He came here because he has important business with you."

Naruto turned to Fukasaku and bowed his head. "Greetings."

The toad bowed his head as well. "Greetings to you as well, though the correct term is 'Two Great Toad Sages.' More importantly, such politeness is surprising for a student of Jiraiya-chan."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "What would you expect a student of the Old Pervert to be like?"

Fukasaku laughed. "'Old Pervert!' While much younger than me, it is fitting nickname for Jiraiya-chan all the same!"

Tsunade cleared her throat. "If we may get back to the situation at hand?"

Fukasaku lowered his head. "Where to start...? I might as well tell you from the start. Jiraiya-chan was killed in battle."

Naruto's eyes widened. He already knew that, but it was best to keep the facade. "What? How?"

"Not too long ago, there was a rumor that the leader of Akatsuki was hidin' somewhere in Amegakure. Jiraiya-chan went to confirm if whether or not this rumor was true."

"In Amegakure?" Sakura asked.

"If I remember correctly, Amegakure is a very recluse village." Sai said. "And that it was difficult to infiltrate."

Kakashi nodded. "But infiltration and intelligence gathering were Jiraiya-sama's specialties."

"Exactly." Fukasaku said. "Jiraiya-chan then stood face to face with Pain, the Leader of Akatsuki, but Pain was one of Jiraiya-chan's former students."

"How can that be?" Sakura asked.

"Jiraiya-chan called him Nagato." Fukasaku said.

"It happened a long time ago." Tsunade said. "During the war in Amegakure, Jiraiya watched over three orphans that had no relatives. To think those kids would do this..."

"Still, to corner someone of Jiraiya-sama's caliber is... Just what the hell is this 'Pain'?" Kakashi wondered.

"He possesses the Rinnegan." Fukasaku said.

Shizune and Kakashi's eyes widened.

"Rinnegan?" Sakura asked.

"A Doujutsu used by the mythical Rikudo Sennin." Shizune said.

"The Doujutsu of legend." Fukasaku said. "Its powers are beyond anyone's imagination. Not only that, but six people had the Rinnegan."

Everyone was shocked.

"How is that possible?" Kakashi asked.

"There might be a trick behind it." Fukasaku said. "Odds are Jiraiya-chan was the only one who knew it. He could not tell me, because by the time he figured it out, his throat had been crushed and left a message on my back before collapsin'." He then removed his cloak and showed his back, which had numbers carved on it.

"It's in code." Shizune remarked.

"He did it so Pain wouldn't notice, I'm sure of it." Fukasaku said as he put his cloak back on. I've said all I have to say."

"We have to decipher the code and find out what he wanted to tell us." Tsunade said.

"If I may?" Naruto said. Once he gained everyone's attention, he continued. "Jiraiya had a lot of writing quirks. For example, what you saw as '9' was actually how he wrote 'Ta' in Katakana. It's something I saw when he made me read his manuscripts for Icha Icha **Ta**ctics." He made emphasis on the Ta of Tactics, which everyone caught.

"This is very helpful." Tsunade said. "This alone will take us a long way in the decryption."

"Aside from the message on my back, Jiraiya-chan had something else." Fukasaku said as he looked at another toad. "Inside his belly is one Amegakure's shinobi captured by Jiraiya-chan. Also..." He brought his hands together before summoning a toad that had a cork in its mouth. "Inside this one is one of Pain's bodies that Jiraiya-chan managed to kill."

Once again, everyone was shocked.

"'One of Pain's bodies'?" Naruto asked.

Fukasaku nodded. "He said that this one was a Fuma shinobi that he fought before. They claimed that they were all Pain."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Other than the Rinnegan, did any of these bodies have anything in particular?"

Fukasaku was confused by the question before gesturing for the toad. "Have a look."

The toad spat out the cork and the corpse. The body had long orange hair tied back in along ponytail with a fringe hanging down the right side of his head and a horizontal scar on his forehead. The body also had these odd round studs piercing his face. His eyes were completely purple with ripple patterns.

"What are these?" Naruto gestured to the studs.

Fukasaku shook his head. "I do not know, but all of Pain's bodies had these."

Naruto turned to the old toad. "All of them?"

"Yes. Why?"

"If they all had these things, then maybe that's how they all got the Rinnegan." Naruto said before looking back at the corpse. "But if it worked like that, then one of them shouldn't have these unless..." Naruto's eyes widened.

"What is it?" Tsunade asked.

"Alright, this is just a theory for now." Naruto said before he pointed at the studs. "But what if these were able to receive the Rinnegan User's chakra to manipulate multiple bodies, then the real one wouldn't have these things on him. This could mean that none of these bodies were the real Pain."

Everyone's eyes widened at the theory.

"Such an astute observation and theory with so little information..." Fukasaku muttered.

"I'll have a special team of medical Ninja examine the body. Naruto, please make clones for Shizune to take the body to an emergency room."

Naruto made clones that picked up the body and followed Shizune out.

"Fukasaku-sama, could we take a picture of the message?" Tsunade requested.

"Of course. I'll be leaving shortly after that. Contact me if you learn anything new." Fukasaku said.

Tsunade nodded. "Alright then, this meeting is adjourned."

Naruto left the office and walked around in the village. During his walk, he ran into Iruka.

"Hey, Naruto! Looks like you've been on a lot of missions, huh?" Iruka smiled. "The entire village is talking about you. You got time for some catching up?"

"Sorry, but I need some time to think." Naruto said.

"Why? Is there a problem?" Iruka asked.

Naruto walked toward Iruka until he was right next to him. "Jiraiya has been killed." He whispered before he continued walking.

Iruka was staring at Naruto with widened eyes.

* * *

The next day, Naruto was called back into the office. Shikamaru was there along with Tsunade, Sakura and Fukasaku.

"Yo, Naruto." Shikamaru said. "The Decryption squad sends their thanks for the starting push of the decryption."

"We have the decrypted message right here." Tsunade placed a sheet on her desk. "Read it, you'll be surprised."

Naruto read the paper and his eyes widened.

The real one isn't among them.

"It seems...I wasn't far off in my theory." Naruto said.

Fukasaku nodded. "Impressive, Naruto-chan. Jiraiya-chan must have been proud to have ya as an apprentice. Unfortunately, that alone ain't enough to fight Pain."

Tsunade nodded. "The interrogation and autopsy haven't given anything yet, and the latter could take a week before we have results. Probably less, since Shizune's handling it."

"That is good, for I have something to pass the time." Fukasaku said before he turned to Naruto. "Are you ready to succeed Jiraiya-chan as a Gama Sennin?"

Naruto's eyes widened. Through Minato and Jiraiya's souls, he had access to Senjutsu, but knew he needed the proper instruction and supervision to gain control over it. He bowed to the old toad. "I am ready for whatever training you have planned for me."

Fukasaku nodded. "Then I shall take you with me to Mount Myoboku to train you in Senjutsu!"

"Good luck, Naruto!" Tsunade said.

* * *

After Naruto packed some preparations, Fukasaku used Gyaku Kuchiyose to take them straight to Mount Myoboku. Although, it was really Gamakichi who used Gyaku Kuchiyose to teleport Naruto to Mount Myoboku, since only a toad that was at Mount Myoboku could use it.

"Before training, we should fill our stomachs! Follow me!" Fukasaku said.

To Naruto's well-hidden disgust, the meals were bugs.

"Are those things even edible for humans?" Naruto asked.

"Sure, humans can eat this no problem! Now dig in!" Shima, Fukasaku's wife, said.

Doing his best to think of the meals as food, Naruto started eating. It tasted awful, but he did his best to bear with it.

After that, Fukasaku took Naruto to a fountain that had oil in it.

"Thank you for your efforts, Naruto-chan." Fukasaku said. "Ma takes great pride in her cooking."

"It'll take some getting used to." Naruto admitted. "And hey, maybe Senjutsu will help me in that regard."

Fukasaku laughed. "Well, you _will_ be more attuned to nature, so the chance is there!" He then took a more serious face. "It is now time to start your training. I'll start by telling you an overview of Senjutsu."

"I'm all ears." Naruto said.

"Good. Now, unlike Ninjutsu, which makes you use the chakra within your body, Senjutsu uses the energy within nature itself. As you are well aware, Ninjutsu harnesses chakra made by the mind and body, whereas Senjutsu uses the energy of nature as well as your own to make a more powerful chakra. With that, your Genjutsu, Ninjutsu and even Taijutsu become drastically more powerful."

"I see." Naruto said. "That's impressive."

"'Impressive'? Then, how about a demonstration?" Fukasaku said before he bounced toward an enormous frog statue.

Fukasaku then made the same handsign as the statues: Hands upside down with the back of their fingers pressed against each other. He then lifted the statue over his head.

Naruto's eyes widened.

"This is the strength of Senjutsu!" Fukasaku said before he put the statue down.

"What was that handsign you used?" Naruto asked.

"That is the sign to absorb the nature energy. You can't feel it yet because you have not become one with nature. You have to feel it and let it accumulate around you. Becomin' one with nature will allow you to freely control the flow of nature energy in and out of your body. To make you become one with nature requires special training: Not moving!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "So, meditation?"

Fukasaku nodded. "You must stand completely still and harmonize with the flow of nature. Only then will you be able to feel nature energy. But such training takes a long time."

"Time that I do not have, as Pain and Akatsuki will come for me eventually." Naruto said.

"Then we shall use this." Fukasaku bounced toward the fountain. "This oil has the power to draw in nature energy. Come here, I'll apply some on your arm."

Naruto walked up to Fukasaku and rolled his sleeve. The old toad dipped a finger in the oil and rubbed it on Naruto's forearm. "With this, nature energy will enter your body by itself. Then, you'll be able to feel it around your body."

"T-This feeling..." Naruto said as he felt the nature energy enter his body. He felt wobbly and blissful.

"Do not bask into it." Fukasaku warned. "Keep your feelings in check. Otherwise you will be at risk of turning into a toad like you are now."

Naruto could indeed see his right hand had become webbed and had warts on it.

"T-The hell!?" Naruto said before he was whacked on the head. "Ouch." When he opened his eyes, his right hand was back to normal. "Huh?"

"Ya have to find the perfect balance between your body, your mind and the nature energy ya absorb. Whenever ya have too much nature energy within ya and start turning into a toad, I'll whack ya with my cane, expelling all the nature energy within ya."

"This is...very risky indeed." Naruto said.

"Risky doesn't even describe it." Fukasaku said. "All those statues around ya are those who had too much nature energy."

"All of them, huh?" Naruto said as he looked at the statues all around them.

"I'll tell you a little secret. Even Jiraiya-chan couldn't get the training down perfectly. Whenever he used Senjutsu, he'd slightly turn into a toad. Even then, he was still good at it. Are ya ready to continue?"

Naruto nodded. "Can I use Kage Bunshin for this training?"

"They will give ya the experience they gain, but if one of them turns into a toad, ya're done for!"

"It's a risk I'll have to take." Naruto said.

"Fine, but only four of ya at a time. I can only keep up with so much. Now, sit down and do the handsign. I'll splash your backs with oil to allow the nature energy to enter your bodies."

That was how the training went. Naruto and his clones would try and find the balance and every time the nature energy became too much, Fukasaku whacked them. Whenever a clone was whacked, it would dispel and give its experience before Naruto replaced it.

* * *

Eventually, Naruto managed to feel the nature energy around him.

"I feel it!" Naruto said.

"Good, then let's take a break and eat some food." Fukasaku suggested as he pulled out a picnic's worth of 'food'. "After we rest up, we'll try lifting some statues with Senjutsu."

While Naruto meant it as a joke earlier, the food definitely tasted better than before.

"Now then, it's time to try and lift the statue." Fukasaku said. "However, try using your own chakra first."

"It probably won't budge, but you're the boss." Naruto said as he focused his chakra around his body and tried lifting the statue. It didn't even move less than an inch. He was half tempted to increase his strength with Headhunter, but decided otherwise.

"Now, try to use Senjutsu chakra." Fukasaku said.

Naruto dipped his hand in the oil and made the balance before molding the Senjutsu Chakra. Whenever he made the balance, his pupils became toad-like and he gained orange rings around his eyes. He also had a few warts on his body, but they would probably disappear with further training.

Naruto then tried and succeeded in lifting the statue over his head.

"_He is learnin' even faster than Jiraiya-chan."_ Fukasaku thought. _"This one very well may be the Child of Prophecy."_

"This is absolutely amazing!" Naruto said as he put the statue down.

"Good, you have somewhat mastered how to control Senjustu chakra usin' the oil." Fukasaku said. "Now, we'll try without the oil. But first, I want to give ya something." He pulled out a book. "This is Jiraiya-chan's first novel."

Naruto took the book. "'The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja.'"

The story was about a man, named Naruto, who never gave up and tried to break the cycle of war in the world.

"Where did he come up with this story?" Naruto wondered to himself when he finished reading the book. "That can't all be from his imagination."

When he got back to training, Naruto had to focus on drawing the nature energy without the oil. Naruto was very patient, which made the condition of not moving at all and concentrate very simple to follow.

"_Impressive."_ Fukasaky thought. _"Meditation came so easily for him. To think he would be able to go so far without the oil."_

Once Naruto made the balance and gained Senjutsu Chakra, he gained orange eyeshadow. He opened his eyes, which were now yellow with horizontal slit pupils. He didn't even have a single wart on him.

"_He has the eye shadin' that proves he is a Sennin and he doesn't even have any toad marks!"_ Fukasaku thought, awed at the sight before him. _"He has officially surpassed Jiraiya-chan at being a Sennin!" _Fukasaku then asked Naruto how he felt.

"To become one with nature is an amazing feeling." Naruto said. "It's like all of my senses have become active after living a long time without them."

"A fitting description, for your body has been activated to a whole new level, called Sennin Modo. Now that you've mastered the Sennin Modo, we can get to the final step: a fighting style that uses Senjutsu Chakra. I will teach you the Frog Kata!"

Fukasaku taught Naruto the Frog Kata until they called it a day.

In the middle of the night, Naruto snuck out and went to a secluded area. If he could improve his Ninjutsu with Senjutsu chakra, then it was the perfect time to make the final adjustments and check his new limits.

* * *

For the next few days, Fukasaku trained Naruto in the Frog Kata. During that time, Fukasaku told Naruto the weaknesses of Sennin Modo: How Sennin Modo can't last forever and how staying still to amass nature energy made him an easy target. While Fukasaku proposed of slightly merging with Naruto's shoulder, Naruto easily came with the idea using Kage Bunshin to receive their Senjutsu chakra upon being dispelled, which Fukasaku also approved of.

One day, a terrible message was received: Kosuke, the messenger toad in Konoha, had been killed. This could very well mean that Konoha was under attack.

Fukasaku sent a message to Shima, who was nearby Konoha to collect ingredients, to prepare to summon the big leagues, including Naruto and Fukasaku himself.

Naruto prepared himself to battle something daring enough to attack Konoha.

**Hope I'm not _too_ evil for ending the chapter just before the Pain fight. Anyways, the next chapter and the one after that are the last completed chapters of the story. After that, it will be a while before I can finish the remaining chapters. No worries, though, I'm doing my best.**


	16. Chapter 16: Pain and the Summit

**Leonardobluesummers: Soma's odds of a soul are through killing enemies and are mostly RNG(though there is an item that doubles the odds), but there are bosses whose souls are guaranteed to be won. Although I'm sure Dracula himself, who had the Power of Dominance for centuries, can decide if he dominates a soul or not. In Jiraiya's case, the 'physical contact' with Naruto is what got him.**

**Actually, going into familiar territory for a bit, Alucard's Soul Steal spell is another way to use the Power of Dominance, although it only heals him in his case. Dracula, however, can use Soul Steal _and_ gain the soul's power.**

**Speaking of the soul's power, you're mostly correct. Dracula gains the soul's abilities when he gets it, be they physical or otherwise. But no extra lives, this ain't Hellsing.**

**Wow, the image of either vampire getting the other's soul just came to mind. That's a terrifying thought.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 16: Pain and the Five Kage**

Through Shima's Kuchiyose no Jutsu, Naruto, Fukasaku, Gamabunta, Gamaken, Gamahiro and Gamakichi were summoned in the middle of the village.

Instead of his usual trench coat, Naruto, currently in Sennin Modo, wore an open red coat with black fire-like designs at the bottom. He also had a large scroll strapped to his lower back.

He looked around. The whole place was in smoke, he couldn't see the surroundings.

Shima appeared before Naruto and Fukasaku.

"What's the meanin' of this, Ma?" Fukasaku asked. "Why didn't you summon us to Konoha?"

"This _is_ Konoha. Look."

When the smoke finally dissipated, Naruto could see the village. Most of it was blown off the map, with a very small part of it being in ruins.

"What happened that could cause such destruction?" Naruto asked.

"Pain happened." Shima said. "I couldn't possibly forget this presence."

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he heard footsteps coming from the other side of the deep crater they were in. He saw an orange-haired man with six-studs on his nose.

"You saved me the trouble of looking for you, Kyuubi." Pain said.

Then, five other figures landed next to him, with all of them being orange-haired. One of them was a girl, another had a round face, the next one had long hair that reached his back, followed by one completely bald and the last one had spikes piercing the top of his ears.

"It seems all six have gathered." Fukasaku said.

Suddenly, a panting Tsunade landed between both groups.

"I... am the Godaime Hokage!" Tsunade panted.

"Godaime-sama!" A hawk-masked Anbu landed next to Tsunade.

"I will never let you trample the treasures and dreams of the previous generation! As Hokage, I'll end this here" Tsunade claimed.

"It seems you've come to understand a little of my pain." The first Pain said. "Regardless, I have no business with you."

The bald one then used rockets on his legs to charge toward Tsunade.

Only for Naruto to appear between the two and slam the enemy's head into the ground, making him break down like a machine.

"I am your opponent." Naruto said.

Tsunade was shocked.

"Naruto..." Tsunade muttered.

"The Hokage shouldn't waste her time against trash. Kichi, take Tsunade away." Naruto said before he looked over his shoulder to look at the ANBU. "Protect the Hokage."

The ANBU saluted as Gamakichi landed nearby and grabbed Tsunade.

"Naruto Uzumaki..." The first Pain said.

The long-haired one, the girl and the round-faced one then stood before the first while the one with the spikes stood behind the first.

"I am Naruto Uzumaki, Apprentice of Jiraiya of the Sannin and shinobi of Konoha!" Naruto exclaimed as his left hand reached for something inside his pouch.

**Flashback**

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked as he looked at the item Jiraiya gave him. "Isn't this important to you?"

"It's fine." Jiraiya reassured. "Not making use of it is a waste, something I'm sure you can rectify one day."

**Flashback end**

Naruto threw a kunai at Pain before charging, a Fuuton: Rasengan in his right hand.

"Naruto, wait!" Tsunade called out.

The round-faced Pain stepped forth and dodged the kunai before raising his arms and bracing himself. The first Pain also dodged the kunai, along with the one with the spikes.

Just as Naruto was about to attack, he disappeared in a yellow flash, shocking everyone.

The first Pain turned around upon hearing an explosion. Behind him was Naruto, his Rasengan hand on the rear Pain's head and with the tri-pronged kunai he had thrown back in his left hand.

"And I won't let you get away with this destruction." Naruto claimed.

"Naruto..." Tsunade muttered in shock.

"Oh! Ohohohohoho!" Fukasaku laughed in realization. _"Minato-chan..."_

Gamabunta simply smiled.

Every remaining Pain jumped away from Naruto, still in their earlier formation.

Idiotic. The very formation itself was a weakness. After all, the one that used to be in the back could either be long-range support or one that had to be protected. Like say... the one who could revive the other bodies. And that's why Naruto struck that one first.

Naruto stood up and raised his right hand in the air to create a Fuuton: Rasen-shuriken.

Fukusaku and Shima were awed, What was that Jutsu? The chakra focused in it was staggering.

The round-faced Pain returned to his braced position.

"_Every time I use Ninjutsu, the same body prepares itself. This one obviously can counter Ninjutsu in some way. As his 'mythical' power made him believe he is invincible?"_

"Surrender." The first Pain demanded. "With your death, peace will be assured!"

"What do you know about peace!?" Naruto said as the clone dispelled and he threw the Rasen-shuriken, to Fukasaku and Shima's shock.

Every Pain stood their ground, unfazed by the incoming Jutsu. The round-faced Pain remained in his defensive position. A Barrier appeared around that Pain.

Naruto's eyes widened. Chakra absorption?!

Indeed. When the Rasen-shuriken reached the barrier, it was slowly being drained.

Naruto inwardly cursed, but he planned to make the best of this information. Sure, he could absorb chakra, but what of Senjutsu chakra?

Naruto sent Senjutsu-enhanced Chakra Chains to restrain the round-faced Pain. As expected, the chains were being absorbed the moment they emerged from underneath Pain.

"It's useless." The first Pain said. "You cannot harm me like this-"

However, the chakra-absorbing Pain turned into a stone toad, to Pain's shock.

"Good job, Naruto-chan." Shima said as she bounced over to him and landed on his scroll. She was carrying a small Katsuyu. "That's three down already."

Katsuyu was small enough to fit inside his pocket.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" The girl summoned a bird with a large beak that tried to attack him, only for Naruto to jump back, making the beak hit the ground, before he jumped over the bird.

"The girl uses summons." Naruto whispered. "What about the other two, Katsuyu-sama?"

"The one who has always spoken to you uses attractive and repulsive forces using himself as the center. The long-haired one can read your mind upon physical contact and take your soul." Katsuyu said before he felt her slump inside his pocket. "Poor Shizune-chan..."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. That made the last one the most dangerous one.

The girl had jumped in the air and tried to attack Naruto with a rod, only for the blond to counter with Muramasa. It was surprising that the rod could resist the demon blade's sharpness.

Suddenly, Shima made a cloud of dust all over the crater, blocking Pain's linked sights. Fukasaku then threw Bunta toward Naruto and the girl, with the boss toad gobbling them both.

Naruto immediately understood the plan. With Sennin Modo, he could sense Pain, but Pain couldn't see him in the darkness of Bunta's closed mouth. He made two Rasengan and slammed them on the girl.

"Rasen rengan!" Naruto said.

Four bodies down, two to go. The bird dispelled now that its summoner was gone.

Bunta opened his mouth and Naruto jumped out, panting as his Sennin Modo was no more.

"Now's my chance." The first Pain said as he charged toward Naruto.

Naruto took off the scroll and ran toward Fukasaku, with Pain giving chase.

Bunta did his best to distract Pain, who dodged Bunta's every attack before landing before Naruto.

"Over here, Naruto-chan!" Fukasaku said as he landed behind Naruto, who immediately threw the scroll over his shoulders.

Pain charged toward him using Taijutsu, with Naruto blocking and countering with Muramasa. Pain was being careful not to be cut down by the blade.

Fukasaku opened the scroll and used it to summon one of the two clones Naruto left at Mount Myoboku to gather Senjutsu chakra.

Naruto immediately forced the clone to dispel, receiving the Senjutsu chakra.

Pain immediately tried to stab Naruto with a rod, only for Naruto to block and break the rod with a single palm strike, thanks to Sennin Modo.

Naruto kicked Pain, sending him flying. When he crashed on the ground, Pain's eyes widened as he saw, through his linked sight, that his second-to-last body was sliced in half by a Kage Bunshin's Muramasa. Unknown to Pain, Naruto made a clone inside Bunta's mouth before he got out. A few seconds after Naruto ran, the clone got out and went straight for the other Pain.

"And then there was one." Naruto said as he charged toward the remaining Pain.

"_How?"_ Pain thought as he tried to get up. _"How did he regain his strength so quickly?"_

Naruto slammed a Rasengan on Pain's downed body. He looked at the unmoving body before he removed one of the chakra receivers from the body and stabbed it into his hand. With Sennin Modo's sensory ability, he tracked down where the chakra was coming from and found the real Pain's location.

"So, you've found me." Naruto looked at the body.

"Not down yet?" Naruto said as he made a Fuuton: Rasengan. "We'll talk face to face." He then slammed the wind sphere on the body, terminating it.

Naruto took Katsuyu out of his pocket and let her on the ground. "I'll go on alone from here. This is between me and a fellow student of Jiraiya." He said before he walked to where the real Pain was.

"Naruto-kun!" Katsuyu called out.

"Let him go, Katsuyu-chan." Fukasaku said. "We do not know anything about the real Pain's abilities. And Naruto-chan is right: this is between fellow students of Jiraiya-chan. For now, we should spread the news of Pain's defeat at Naruto-chan's hand."

* * *

"Naruto!" Naruto heard someone call out to him as he tree-hopped in a forest. He stopped and turned around. Inoichi Yamanaka and Shikaku Nara, Ino and Shikamaru's fathers respectively, along with a Hyuuga landed before him. "If you're here, then you must have defeated Pain." Inoichi said.

Naruto nodded. "You guys should return to the village. I'll deal with the real Pain."

"Do you know Pain's location?" The Hyuuga asked.

"With Senjutsu, I retraced the chakra signals through one of the receivers." Naruto explained.

"I see." Inoichi said. "But why go alone?"

"Because it's between students of Jiraiya." Naruto said.

"But-"

"Inoichi." Shikaku interrupted. "Naruto is right. Now that the bodies are no longer functional, only kindred spirits can settle things face to face."

Naruto turned around. "There is one thing you could do for me. Kosuke, the messenger toad we left in the village, was slain. Whoever killed him didn't want me to return." He went on his way, ignoring the trio's shocked faces.

* * *

Naruto stopped before the tallest tree on the mountain, which was paper made. Now, that he was no longer focusing on a battle, he could dispel the last clone that was all the way to Mount Myoboku, gaining his last prepared reserve of Senjutsu chakra. He would still be careful. The papers making this tree are laced with chakra. Once he was inside, whoever controlled the papers would have the advantage.

He ripped through the paper in front of him and entered the tree.

Two people stood before him. One was a neutral-faced woman with blue hair with a flower ornament and the other was a sickly, skinny to the bones, red-haired, Rinnegan-eyed man attached to a machine and multiple rods through his back.

The woman stood between Naruto and Pain.

"Konan, step back." Pain said.

"Nagato?" Konan asked.

"It's alright." Nagato said.

Konan stepped aside.

"So this is what you look like, huh?" Naruto asked Nagato. "You've definitely seen better days."

"Do you hate me?" Nagato asked. "Your enemy is right before your eyes. You want revenge, don't you?"

"I grieve the dead in the village." Naruto said. "But we all do what we do for one reason or another. And killing you won't bring the others back to life."

"Then fulfill your role as a sacrifice for the peace I'll create!" Nagato said as the machine shot a rod toward Naruto, who didn't even try to stop it.

"Don't worry; I didn't aim for any vital spots." Nagato said. "You are too precious to kill right now."

Naruto flared Kyuubi's chakra through the rod, exposing Nagato to the heavy feeling it brings.

Nagato's body sagged.

"What's wrong, Nagato?" Konan asked.

"You...did this on purpose." Nagato panted.

"I said we would talk face to face." Naruto said as he pulled out the rod from himself.

"_To resist Nagato's chakra at this short distance..."_ Konan thought, shocked.

Nagato himself was shocked about that as well.

"Tell me, you who were Jiraiya's student long before me, why have you strayed from his belief that, one day, people will come to understand one another?" Naruto asked. He would keep him talking while he thought of something to turn things to his favor while inside this trap.

"Love and forgiveness are things that are hard to earn." Nagato said. "With love comes hatred. With hatred comes pain. Only when people feel the same pain can they understand one another. Jiraiya-sensei's belief was nothing more than an old-fashioned idealism. Reality is far too different. Can you really believe Jiraiya-sensei's nonsense after seeing what reality is like?"

"I am Jiraiya's student." Naruto said. "The will of the master passes on to the student, like it will in the furthest of futures. What is so different about you?"

"Since you've asked, you shall hear the story of our pain." Nagato said. "There are two incidents that fuel my pain. The first is the death of my parents. It happened when the Amegakure was dragged into the Second Great Shinobi War. Konoha Shinobi mistook my parents as shinobi and killed them when they sacrificed themselves to save me. In my pain and anger, I awakened the Rinnegan and killed them. It is a pain I cannot let go, even now. I buried my parents and wandered around aimlessly, meeting a little dog I named Chibi. Just as I thought I would die of hunger, Konan, who is here before you, found me. She gave me a bit of food before taking me to Yahiko, the last body you defeated. Like me, they were orphans of war. But they were strong and fought for their survival. And I became their friend. Without anyone trying to help war orphans, we had to fend for ourselves. Such was the fate for the children without families. Even then, Yahiko never gave up. However, we one day stumbled upon a shinobi battle. The most well-known three-on-one battle of the Second Great Shinobi War."

"The future Densetsu no Sannin against Sanshouo no Hanzo." Naruto said.

Nagato nodded. "Chibi died in the collateral damage. That's when Yahiko's dream of becoming the god of this world became my dream. We decided to become stronger by asking the Sannin for training. But pursuing them was a challenge. We would have to walk through the battlefield as mere children. They also never left any tracks behind, like any respectable ninja. That didn't stop Yahiko, however. We figured that the bigger the magnitude of the battle, the more likely we were to find the Sannin. And destiny led us right to them. We had finally found Jiraiya-sensei. But, I couldn't bring myself to acknowledge a Konoha shinobi. I'm sure that you understand why."

Naruto nodded. How could he not?

"Then you understand my reluctance to trust Jiraiya-sensei when he accepted to train the three of us." Nagato said. "But he was different from the others. And a little while after the four of us started living together, an incident happened. A Shinobi that had been left behind tried to kill Yahiko, but I killed him with my Rinnegan. I hadn't even realized what I had done. For a reason unknown to me, I had a very unique power. After that incident, Jiraiya-sensei ignored his previous reluctance to teach us Ninjutsu. He said he did it so we could defend ourselves, but I knew it was also so I could properly control the Rinnegan. But I was afraid of my own power... Hatred was driving me crazy. I thought I had done something wrong, so I was tormented by feelings of guilt. But Sensei saved me from that hell. Before I noticed, I'd already acknowledged Sensei. 'When you're hurt, you learn to hate. When you hurt others, you're tormented by feelings of guilt. But, because of that pain, you're also able to treat others more kindly. Man matures because they know pain. And to mature is to start thinking for yourself and to make your own decisions. To know and reflect upon pain, and come up with your own answer.' Jiraiya-sensei seemed to be asking himself the same question. Sensei wasn't able to come up with an answer. Back then, I was able to come up with an answer right away. I wanted to protect Konan and Yahiko. Three years later, I felt that both my body and mind had grown stronger through training. But Sensei's words would still be engraved in my heart. Sensei said that he would entrust my Rinnegan with finding an answer. He entrusted me with finding an answer to peace, and then, Sensei left us. We started to act as an organization, with Yahiko as the leader, and in an instant, we became famous. People acknowledged our effort of creating a peace that didn't rely on armed forces."

"Is that what Akatsuki started as?" Naruto asked, despite already knowing that it was indeed Yahiko that founded Akatsuki before his death.

Nagato nodded. "But the world was engulfed by wars from the surrounding Three Great Countries: Iwa, Suna and Konoha. Hanzo then heard of our organization and approached us. He couldn't ignore us any longer. Hanzo offered a proposal of making us lead the peace negotiations with the Great Three. By using our power, we would get a peace agreement with the Great Three. We decided to go along with the idea."

"The proposal sounds too good to be true." Naruto grimaced.

Nagato nodded. "You are correct, for that was the beginning of a disaster. We were still kids, inexperienced in war tactics. By going along with the plan, Yahiko died! It was all a trap laid out by Hanzo. Because he suspected that we would try to steal the power over Amegakure from him. Later, at a place we were supposed to do the peace negotiations, we were surrounded by Hanzo's troops along with Konoha's Anbu. Hanzo worked together with a man named Danzo from Konoha in order to get rid of us."

Naruto sighed. "That stupid old man and his desire for the Hokage Seat..."

Nagato nodded. "When Yahiko died, I became the leader of the organization in his stead. Even though I had grown up, nothing had changed. It was the same as when my parents died. I was wrong. I noticed that the answer that I came up with was nothing but bullshit. I owed him my life, he was my dream. He was an irreplaceable friend to whom I would have gladly given my life to protect. Yahiko's death... _That_ is the second source of my pain. After that, more of my friends died in battle. More and more people continued to die. You people of Hi no Kuni would stop at nothing to achieve peace. The small request fees people pay to Konoha become war funds. The people of Hi no Kuni knowingly support war, yet they hypocritically speak of peace. The barely existent peace of your great nations is made possible by the sacrifices of our lesser nations. To us, your peace means violence. Just by living, people are hurting each other without even realizing it. As long as mankind continues to exist, so will hatred. True peace can't exist in this cursed world. Jiraiya-sensei's words are nothing but fiction!"

Naruto simply stared at Nagato.

"I have told you my story." Nagato said. "What do _you_ think of peace?"

"I understand what you're saying and I think the same as you." Naruto said.

"Is that so?" Nagato asked.

"But, Jiraiya also entrusted me with finding the answer to peace. As his apprentice, it is my duty to believe in what he believed in! _That _is my answer to peace!"

"So you'll believe in what Jiraiya-sensei believed in, huh? I see... That's your answer." Nagato was becoming upset. "Is that supposed to mean that we should just wait for you to somehow make this world a peaceful place!? Don't screw with me! How can you believe in what Jiraiya-sensei said at this time!? There's no such thing as true peace! As long as we exist in this accursed world, there won't be any such thing!"

"Then I will end the curse. If there is such a thing as 'peace', then I shall grasp it! I'll never give up on that goal!"

Nagato's eyes widened. "You... That is..."

"Nagato, what is it?" Konan asked.

Naruto pulled out The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja. "Everything I said was from Jiraiya's first novel. Jiraiya wanted to change the world with this book. At the last page, he wrote that a student gave him the inspiration to write this book. _You_ are the one who inspired him, Nagato."

Nagato's eyes widened.

"The name of the main character is Naruto... I was named after this character, which makes it all the more precious. I cannot scar such a precious thing by giving up."

"How can you stand there and believe that you will never change?" Nagato demanded. "That you will never change, no matter the pain you face? Can you keep on believing in yourself? Can you guarantee that!? Can you really believe in yourself that much!?"

"I have already experienced pain." Naruto said. "And I'm carrying a huge pain within me as well. I have no idea how much more pain will keep on attacking me. But if I were to stop believing because of that..." Naruto trailed off before gesturing to the book. "If the main character were to change, then the story would be different from the one my master left behind. I am Naruto. As my master's legacy, I shall write the sequel based on _how _I live my life. That's who Naruto is!" If he really learned under Jiraiya, an adamant writer, then even this odd argument should make sense.

Nagato's eyes widened before he closed them. "If the main character changes, it'll become a different story... I am your senior apprentice. As students of the same master, we should be able to understand one another. I understand you now because you remind me of who I was before."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. That really worked?

"Nagato..." Konan muttered.

"I wasn't able to believe in Jiraiya." Nagato said before he shook his head. "No, I wasn't able to believe in myself. However, I have a feeling that you can walk a different path than I did, and face a different future." Nagato raised his arms from the machine and intertwined his fingers. "I think I shall try to believe in you, Naruto Uzumaki. Geddo: Rinne Tensei no Jutsu!"

"Nagato!" Konan called out in panic.

"It's alright, Konan." Nagato reassured. "I've made a new choice. A choice I had given up on."

"Tensei..." Naruto repeated. "Who are you reviving?"

"Everyone in Konoha whom I killed." Nagato answered, shocking Naruto.

After a moment, Nagato's hair turned white.

"There's still time to save those I killed in Konoha. It's the least I can do to atone. War brings death, wounds, and pain on both sides. There's nothing harder than accepting the death of a loved one. And so we convince ourselves that they cannot die. Especially your generation, who do not know war. You look for meaning in death. But there is only pain and hatred, which you do not understand, that consumes you. People die like trash. An everlasting hatred accompanied by a pain that cannot be healed. That is war, Naruto. That is what you must go up against. You and that book... It's almost as if someone had planned it all. Or could it be divine work?"

The paper tree was slowly disassembling itself.

"I've played my part." Nagato said. "Naruto, I truly believe you can..." He breathed his last breath before he could finish.

Konan enveloped Nagato's body with paper to transport him more easily.

This very well may be Naruto's last chance. Nagato's death prevented him from getting his soul, but he could gain the eyes. Who knows, maybe the Power of Dominance will help in that regard. With that in mind, he looked at Konan, who had her back turned to him, with the Mangekyo Sharingan and activated Kotoamatsukami.

"Konan-san. It's time." He called out.

Konan's shoulders slumped. "I am aware. It was the condition for Dracula-sama's help. I wish I could bring Yahiko's body, but I do not want to start a fight in Konoha after Nagato gave his life to bring them all back."

Naruto nodded and made a Kage Bunshin. "Wait here with him. I have to return to Konoha, so I'll send a Bunshin back here with Yahiko's body. I'll say it was the condition for everyone's revival."

Konan nodded.

"_You better be grateful for that one, boss."_ Naruto thought as he headed back to the village.

When he returned to the village, he could see everyone was still recovering. Naruto found Yahiko's body and used a Kage Bunshin to bring it to Konan.

"What was that for, Naruto?" Naruto turned and saw Kakashi walking toward him.

"A little condition in exchange for Pain giving his life to revive everyone." Naruto answered.

"You convinced him of doing that?" Kakashi asked.

"Wasn't easy." Naruto said. it still surprised him that it turned out this way.

Then, everyone noticed his presence and rushed toward him with cheers.

Sakura walked through the crowd.

"Sakura?" Naruto said.

"You reckless idiot!" Sakura cried out as she tried to punch Naruto, only for the blond to dodge.

"Hey, calm down!" Naruto said before he was hugged by the pinkette.

"Thank you." She said.

Everyone around kept cheering.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

The Kage Bunshin entered the throne room and bowed to Dracula.

"Report. Why have you brought someone here?" Dracula demanded.

Bunshin Naruto smirked. "The 'original' _may_ have used the Mangekyo Sharingan to give you an extra asset."

Dracula's eyes narrowed. "Explain..."

"As you know from one of our previous reports, the Mangekyo Sharingan we got from Itachi had a Genjutsu that gives false experiences to the target's mind without them noticing. This Genjutsu has been used on Konan to allow you to receive Pain's Rinnegan as a 'wholeheartedly agreed condition for helping Akatsuki as Souma Kurusu.'"

Dracula's eyes widened. "Pain is dead and I still get the Rinnegan?"

The clone nodded. "It will have to be transplanted, but maybe the Power of Dominance can help surpassing Pain in its uses."

Dracula chuckled. "Then let's go meet Konan." He said before he took his Souma disguise and they both returned to Konan.

* * *

Back in Konoha, a special meeting was in session. Those in the meeting were the Daimyo and five members of his council and five members of Konoha: The Elder Council, the Anbu captain and Shikaku Nara, who was the Jonin Squad Leader.

"When it comes to dealing with Akatsuki, we will continue to pursue them together with our allies." Homura reported.

"With the village in such a state, Hi no Kuni will also do whatever it can to help rebuild it." One of the Daimyo's advisers said. "First, we'll have to create a budget, before we try to ease the tension with the other countries."

"More importantly, there's something we need to do before that." Danzo interrupted. "We need a new Hokage."

Shikaku's eyes narrowed, knowing where Danzo was going with this. _"Luckily, I have made the requested research, which may very well save this troublesome situation. Thank you, Naruto-kun."_

"Wouldn't it be better to wait until Tsunade recovers?" The Daimyo asked.

"Unfortunately, Daimyo-sama, Tsunade-hime is in a coma from chakra exhaustion." Koharu said. "With the village in its current state, and who knows when Tsunade will wake up, waiting may not be the best course of action. Also, she is responsible for Konoha's destruction!"

"That is incorrect." Shikaku said. "I was told of a messenger toad that remained in Konoha in case of emergency, but was killed before it could give the message of Pain's attack. I asked Tsunade-sama's assistant about the toad and she said only three people opposed sending the toad to bring Naruto back, all three of them being you three elders. She did say Tsunade-sama managed to convince you and Homura to bring Naruto back to the village, leaving only Danzo as the one opposed to bringing Naruto back. Only Danzo could then kill the toad, whose clan is one of Konoha's longest and most honored allies. If the toad hadn't been killed, Naruto would have returned earlier and defeated Pain before the village was completely eradicated. If our people hadn't been revived by Naruto's actions of facing the real Pain, the village would be in an even worse state than it is now."

The Daimyo's advisers were muttering to each other.

Danzo resisted the urge to scowl. He hadn't expected the Toads to know about the dead messenger so quickly.

"This is a most troubling revelation, indeed." The Daimyo said before glancing at the War Hawk. "Do you have anything to say, Danzo?"

"Where is your proof, Shikaku Nara?" Danzo asked.

"Shall we have Naruto Uzumaki summon a toad that would show us a list of the living toads?" Shikaku asked rhetorically. "There should be a name missing somewhere in the list because of the sudden death."

Danzo simply sat back. He did not know whether Shikaku was bluffing or not, but he himself had a summon animal and knew never to doubt them. However, he knew that these accusations would prevent from becoming Hokage this time.

"No more objections?" The Daimyo, silently basking in Danzo's silent seething, asked. Danzo had never been above intimidating the Daimyo. "Then let us continue. For the position of Hokage, I would have liked Jiraiya to be the next one, but sadly he is no longer among us. Any suggestions?"

"I have one." Shikaku said. "In large part thanks to him, Konoha has an alliance with Nami no Kuni, which will definitely help with the reconstruction of the village, as well as alliances with Haru no Kuni and Cha no Kuni. He was an apprentice of the late Jiraiya-sama and defeated Pain by himself. I recommend Naruto Uzumaki. Even though he is young and inexperienced, he has the power and the calm mind to make Konoha look strong even in this time of weakness."

"I agree." The Anbu captain said. "In the few times I have seen him, Naruto Uzumaki had an aura and presence befitting of a born leader."

"Although he is young, with him as Hokage, the other countries will be cautious, if we spread his reputation of defeating Pain by himself." Homura said, to Koharu and Danzo's shock. "Not to mention that he already has the support of everyone in the village."

Even Shikaku was surprised, but welcomed the help.

"Oh, interesting!" The Daimyo said before he glanced at his advisers. "What do you think?"

"If we have the travelling merchants spread the news of the young man's rise as Hokage, this could make the other countries think twice before getting any ideas." One of the advisers said.

The other advisers nodded in agreement, convinced by all the previous statements.

"Then it is decided!" The Daimyo exclaimed. "Until Tsunade recovers from her comatose state, Naruto Uzumaki will be Rokudaime Hokage!"

Shikaku couldn't help but be amused. _"Boy, is he in for a surprise!"_

* * *

Shizune, Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi were in a tent, looking at the comatose Tsunade. She had used almost all of her chakra to heal the people of Konoha during Pain's attack and the time she would wake up was unknown. Even her usual Henge was gone.

"Naruto-kun." Naruto turned to Shizune. "Is it true, what Shikaku-san told me? That Kosuke was killed?"

Sakura's eyes widened as Naruto nodded. "His name disappeared from the Toad Summoning Contract. Any idea of who did this?"

Shizune nodded. "Like I told Shikaku-san, only three people were against summoning you here: the Elders. Tsunade managed to convince Homura-sama and Koharu-sama otherwise, so maybe Danzo killed Kosuke when we all left the office."

Naruto sighed. "That damned old man again. Pain told me that Danzo once had an alliance with Amegakure's Hanzo. Pain and his friends were ambushed by both of their forces before one of Pain's friend died, which instigated the Akatsuki we know today."

Everyone's eyes widened upon hearing him.

Suddenly, Shikaku entered the tent. "Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto turned to Shikaku. "Yes?" He said before he saw what Shikaku was holding. "What are you doing with the Hokage Hat and Haori?"

"I handing them to you, Rokudaime-sama." Shikaku said before giving the clothing to Naruto, shocking everyone.

"Run that by me again." Naruto requested.

"With Tsunade-sama in a coma, Danzo tried to elect himself as Rokudaime Hokage, but I used your power and reputation to have you as Hokage instead, at least until Tsunade-sama recovers."

"Hey, I'll take the position if it means not letting Danzo of all people get it." Naruto said as he put the hat on and replaced his Gama Sennin coat with the Hokage Haori. Now, he really was a whiskered Yondaime. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have the people's morale to boost."

Naruto walked around the camp, outside of the village's ruins, that everyone would live in until the village was rebuilt enough. People were shocked at seeing Naruto wearing Kage clothes, but they cheered and started working even harder.

During his walk, he received his Kage Bunshin's memories. The transplantation was an even greater success then any of them had planned. The Power of Dominance allowed full control over the eyes. But that's not the most surprising. Those eyes...were Madara Uchiha's. As such, Dracula had the powers of the Rinnegan and the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, including a few Jutsu related to the Gedo Mazo. Also, the Rinnegan's Ningendo gave Dracula a passive ability to see the memories of the souls he dominated. That was a lot of memories, so he would need a lot of time to adjust. Fortunately, he had Time Stop.

* * *

One day, a shinobi came to him, saying three Kumo Shinobi carrying a message from the Raikage requested an audience with the Hokage. They were currently by Tsunade's tent.

Naruto headed to the tent and saw two of the Kumo-nin.

One was a dark-skinned, red-haired young woman with amber eyes. She wore a long, short-sleeved dress with frilly edges, completely with the Kumogakure Flak Jacket. She had fishnet stockings, thigh-high boots and bandana-like Kumo headband. She also had a sword strapped to her back.

The other one was a dark-skinned, white-haired young man with a lollipop in his mouth. He wore an overlong shirt with a hood, with red bandage hand guards, Kumogakure shin guards and a black Kumo headband. Like his comrade, he had a sword strapped to his back.

Naruto walked past the shocked duo and entered the tent. There, he saw the third Kumo-nin talking with Shizune.

The third Kumo-nin was a fair-skinned young blonde with breasts well on their way to match Tsunade's in size. Her hair was in an asymmetrical bob style with bangs framing her stoic face and reaching her shoulders. She wore a low-cut outfit that displayed her sizable cleavage, with mesh armor underneath, a short skirt and red hand guards, high boots and a girdle-like Kumo Flak Jacket that only covered her waist.

Like the other two, she was surprised to see someone younger than herself as a Kage.

"I was told you had a message from Raikage-dono." Naruto said.

The blonde nodded and handed him the letter. "We need it read and replied as soon as possible."

Naruto opened the envelope and read the letter. It seems that Sasuke has joined Akatsuki and attacked the Raikage's brother. The Raikage, in the letter, said that he'd deal with Sasuke from now on. Obviously, the Raikage's brother was a Jinchuuriki. And considering Pain came after him, this brother Sasuke kidnapped may be the Hachibi Jinchuuriki.

"That idiot Uchiha..." Naruto growled.

"What is your answer?" The blonde asked.

"Hokage-sama!" A shinobi entered the tent in a hurry. "We received a message from Kumogakure! The Raikage has demanded a Five Kage Summit in the neutral country of Tetsu no Kuni!"

Naruto frowned. The name alone was enough information. The Five Kage would have a Summit concerning something that demands the attention of the Five Great Country. In this case, it was obviously Akatsuki.

"Tell Raikage-dono that there is nothing we can do to prevent someone from avenging family." He told the kunoichi.

The blonde nodded. "We shall return to Kumo and inform Raikage-sama of your answer." She said before leaving the tent.

"Hokage-sama. In the message, it is said that each party is allowed to bring two bodyguards along with them." The messenger reported.

Naruto nodded. "Bring me Kakashi Hatake and Neji Hyuuga."

"Yes sir!" The messenger said before leaving the tent.

"You decided quickly." Shizune commented, surprised.

"Kakashi is someone I can easily trust." Naruto said. "And with something as large as a Five Kage Summit, there is bound to have...unwanted guests. Neji's Byakugan is perfect for such moments."

"Won't that enrage the Raikage? You'll basically be waving a Hyuuga in his face." Shizune said.

"He will be too focused on wanting Sasuke and what's left of Akatsuki dead to care about a Hyuuga." Naruto waved off.

Later, Kakashi and Neji stood before Naruto, who explained the situation. Both were shocked but honored to have been chosen.

"Naruto!" Sakura called out as she entered the tent. "Tell me what I heard isn't true! You didn't really allow Sasuke-kun to be hunted down, right!?"

Neji, Shizune and Kakashi were shocked by Sakura's outburst.

"No matter what I would say, the Raikage would have hunted Sasuke down." Naruto said. "For now, you should simply help everyone in the camp. I am demanded elsewhere."

Sakura was confused. "What do you mean?"

"The Raikage has demanded a Five Kage Summit in Tetsu no Kuni, possibly to talk about Akatsuki." Naruto said before he turned to his two bodyguards. "Pack up, we leave shortly."

"Right!" Kakashi and Neji said before they left to make their preparations.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

"Naruto Uzumaki is preparing to leave for the Five Kage Summit, with Kakashi Hatake and Neji Hyuuga at his side." Torune, a Root Aburame, reported to Danzo within the Root Anbu base.

Danzo's unbandaged eye narrowed. To him, having a Jinchuuriki, the special weapon of a village during wars, as a Kage was a mistake.

Next to them, Fuu, an orange-haired Yamanaka, stiffened before he looked up to the ceiling. "Who's there!?"

"Impressive." A cloaked figure appeared from the shadows.

"Souma Kurusu." Danzo said as the rest of Root appeared in the room. "How did you find this place?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." Souma chuckled. He actually found out about this base because of Orochimaru's soul. It had a lot of useful information.

Every member of Root readied their tipless tanto.

"Oh, how precious." Souma mocked as he landed on the floor and unsheathed Crissaegrim.

Fuu and Torune stayed by Danzo's side while the others charged.

It was useless. With superior swordsmanship and Crissaegrim, Souma was slaying his enemies left and right, gaining their souls.

Sensing danger, Souma turned to Danzo's direction and saw a weird doll dual-wielding sickles jumping toward him. Dodging its attack, he cut off its head.

Why had the rest of Root sto- Wait, that is Jutsu is-

"_Y__ep.__"_ Souma thought as he felt his perspective change. He was on the ground, his view sideways, like a disembodied head. The memories hadn't registered fast enough and he hadn't recognized Fuu's trap until it was too late.

"You were caught in my trap." Fuu's voice was heard through Souma's body. "The moment you attacked the doll, victory was mine."

"_Is that right? Unfortunately for you, you still lost."_ Souma thought through the doll.

"What do you-" Fuu stiffened before Souma's body turned to smoke, to everyone's shock.

They looked up to the ceiling when they heard laughter. Souma was there.

"Did you really I would sneak into the base of the most undercover group of shinobi in the Elemental Countries without a plan? You even used a Yamanaka against me, what a mistake. The Power of Dominance isn't an ability to activate like other Jutsu, it's an automatic power. The moment Fuu's soul entered my Kage bunshin's body, it was mine."

Souma jumped down to the floor. Using chakra, he unleashed Crissaegrim's wind blades on all Root members.

Only Danzo and Torune remained. Torune took his gloves off and Souma saw his skin turn purple.

"_His Rinkaichuu."_ Souma thought, knowing Torune's skills thanks to Fuu.

Torune charged and threw a punch at Souma, who caught the fist. The Rinkaichuu started spread on Souma's hand.

However, Souma stabbed Crissaegrim through Torune's heart. He lifted Torune a few inches in the air before twisting the blade, making wind blades attack Torune all over his body.

Throwing Torune aside after getting his soul, Souma kept his gaze on Danzo, who had the restraints on his right arm. The very same arm Orochimaru transplanted. Hashirama's face on the shoulder and ten Sharingan eyes.

"You will pay for crippling the future of Konoha." Danzo claimed.

"Konoha's not the only one I'll cripple." Souma chuckled.

Danzo's eye narrowed before he made some handsigns. He charged and went for a punch.

A red aura appeared around Souma's left arm as he used Balore to meet Danzo's punch with a punch of his own. The bones of Danzo's arm broke at the impact. Immediately after, Souma used Beam Skeleton's beam and pierced right through Danzo's torso.

"How pathetic." Souma said before Danzo's body disappeared.

"It is useless. You cannot defeat me." Danzo claimed.

"Do you hope to tire me out with Izanagi? You will fail. I have absorbed the chakra of many shinobi, some of them being Jinchuuriki. My stamina and chakra reserves are far superior to yours. By the time you are exhausted by using Izanagi, I will still have not broken a sweat." Souma mocked.

"That remains to be seen." Danzo said before he made some handsigns and breathed out a large sphere of compressed wind chakra. Using Yugito's ability to turn spit into a flaming hairball, Souma spat it into the wind sphere, creating a giant fireball that charred Danzo, who disappeared once again.

Reappearing elsewhere, Danzo looked at his right arm. One eye had just closed.

"_One minute."_ Souma thought. _"And nine Sharingan eyes to go."_ He then chuckled. _"Ten minutes? __Does he__ expect to defeat me __with so little time__?"_

Souma appeared before Danzo and lifted him by the neck. "Then again, will you even defeat me with Izanagi if you don't have the chakra to supply the Jutsu?" He said as he used Yoroi to absorb Danzo's chakra.

Danzo inhaled to use another Fuuton Jutsu, but Souma absorbed the Jutsu with the Rinnegan's Gakido.

A kunai dropped from Danzo's left sleeve and into his hand. Souma deflected the kunai with Crissaegrim before Danzo kicked him away.

Danzo cursed. He had lost a lot of chakra. He looked down at his right arm. One more eye had closed.

He didn't even have the time to look up that a spinning disc tore through his torso.

Souma then sidestepped a wind-coated shuriken. Turning around, He saw Danzo in the air with two wind-coated shuriken. Souma threw three Harpy feathers and hit Danzo.

Danzo looked down at his arm. Three eyes down. He then tensed and went limp upon hearing Mandragora's scream. His body disappeared again.

Danzo appeared before Souma with a wind-coated kunai. He tried to attack, but was deflected by Crissaegrim's wind blades. Souma then struck him with Skull Millione's poison claws.

"It's over." Souma said.

Danzo was confused before he realized Izanagi wasn't working. He fell down to his knees as the poison took effect.

"How...?" Danzo demanded.

"It's simple. Look at your arm."

Danzo looked down at his right arm. His eye widened.

All of the eyes were closed!

Suddenly, he felt pain all over his body, more so than the poison itself.

"You were in my Genjutsu since I grabbed your neck. It was to test a few things, really. One, to see if so many Sharingan eyes could see through the Genjutsu of a superior Sharingan." Danzo's eye widened. "The other thing I wanted to see was your perception. Izanagi creates a Genjutsu around the user to warp reality. However, you died and returned so many times that you lost track of time, using the eyes on your arm to remind yourself of the time lost. Your lack of time perception led to your downfall. And now, not only are you dying, you're also feeling every injury I have given you during the Genjutsu."

Danzo was shocked. That last part...

"You are the one who kidnapped the Kurama clan heiress and stole a Kekkei Genkai from the village." He accused.

Souma chuckled. "That's right. What are you going to do about it?"

Danzo grunted in pain as Hashirama's face on his shoulder started to bulge before rapidly turning into a tree.

"Oh? It seems that, in your weakened state, Hashirama's cells are going haywire."

Danzo quickly ripped himself from the tree. Now, he was exhausted and missing an arm.

"I...have no choice." Danzo panted as he undid the bandages around his head and right eye. There it was, Shisui's right eye and his Sharingan. "I may have lost many of my ressources, but you will serve me well." He activated Kotoamatsukami.

Souma bowed his head. "Yes, Danzo-sama."

Suddenly, a blade pierced through Souma's torso and he vanished in smoke. Danzo's eyes widened as another Souma was the culprit.

"And now, you've wasted Kotoamatsukami." Souma chuckled at Danzo's shock. "I am well aware of it. After all, I took Shisui's left eye from Itachi." A slight bluff. Yes, his Doppelganger had the eye, but, once again, he knew through Orochimaru.

Danzo growled as he groggily stepped forward. "For the Shinobi World...For Konoha...I will not let you LIVE!" He said as a sealing matrix appeared on his torso.

Souma's eyes widened. A Reverse Tetragram Sealing Jutsu! He activated Chronomage and jumped away from the area.

When time resumed, Danzo was shocked that Souma had disappeared. But it was too late. The Fuinjutsu had been activated. The ink spilled and the Reverse Tetragram appeared around him before it everything around him to a certain distance.

Once the surroundings had been sealed, Danzo's corpse started falling into the abyss, but was caught by Souma.

"There are still some of Hashirama's cells on you. The question is, will it be enough?" He wondered before he returned to Castlevania.

* * *

After making their preparations, Naruto, Neji and Kakashi left for Tetsu no Kuni.

"Hokage-sama." Naruto looked over his shoulder toward Kakashi. "I advise being careful around the Raikage and Tsuchikage. Your looks are eerily similar to Yondaime-sensei."

Naruto nodded. "Yes. Inheriting my father's looks may be a curse this time."

Neji and Kakashi's eyes widened.

"You knew?" Kakashi asked.

"How could I not?" Naruto asked back. "I've seen his face, and his hair, plenty of times. Any more advice?"

"Actually, yes." Kakashi said. "Not only are your father's looks a curse, but also your name. Kumo tried to kidnap your mother long ago."

Neji grimaced. It seems Kumo was always trying to kidnap girls from Konoha.

"Because she was the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, right?" Naruto asked. Neji's eyes widened. Kakashi was also surprised, but nodded. "Knowing this may be to my advantage during the Summit. Who rescued Kaa-san?"

"Your father. It was what brought them together in fact." Kakashi eye-smiled.

Naruto chuckled. "Well, excuse me if I don't thank Kumo for bringing them together. Still, watching out for Iwa because of Tou-san and watching out for Kumo because of Kaa-san. No wonder nobody told me beforehand."

Kakashi eye-smiled. "You'll manage. You are Minato-sensei and Kushina-senpai's son, after all. You've even become Hokage younger than your father."

"Acting-Hokage." Naruto reminded. "While that's still ahead of him at my age, I have yet to be voted Hokage by the higher-ranked forces."

"That's almost guaranteed, Hokage-sama." Neji said. "You have gained the respect and admiration of the people over the years. I myself have seen plenty of people cheer for you when they saw you in the Hokage uniform."

Kakashi nodded in agreement. It filled him with pride to see the one who is both his student and his sensei's son become such a loved and valued figure.

* * *

Eventually, they arrived in a snowy area nearby Tetsu no Kuni. Tetsu no Kuni was located on three large mountains that looked like gaping wolf maws, earning the name Sanro.

"We have been expecting you." A samurai said as the trio entered Tetsu no Kuni. "Follow me."

The trio followed the armored samurai to the building where the Summit would take place.

They arrived in a large room that had six seats ready: one for each Kage and the last one for the general of Tetsu no Kuni's samurai forces, Mifune.

Gaara, Kankuro and Temari were shocked to see Naruto as the Hokage, but kept silent. This was no place for reunions.

The Raikage and the Tsuchikage narrowed their eyes at Naruto: The former because of Team Samui's report of the young Kage and the latter because of his looks. They were similar to both the Yondaime and a mission report given by Suzumebashi's team, over two years ago.

The Mizukage raised an eyebrow at another young Kage, but gave no other reaction.

Each Kage took their seats, which were in a half circle before Mifune's seat. The bodyguards stood on a higher balcony and let the Kage talk.

"Please remove your Kage hats and place them before you." Mifune requested. Mifune had long grey hair, which almost reached his waist, with bandages around his head. He had black eyes with distinct wrinkles underneath them, a grey goatee and moustache. He wore a simple purple kimono-like outfit and sandals.

The first to follow Mifune's request was the Mizukage. She was a tall, slender woman about in her thirties with purple lipstick. She had green eyes, and ankle-length, auburn hair styled into a herringbone pattern at the back, a top-knot tied with a blue band, and with four bangs at the front: two of them being short, with one covering her right eye, and two long enough to cross each other over her bust, slightly below her chin. She wore a long-sleeved, dark-blue dress that fell just below the knees. It seemed to be closed at the front with a zipper, and is kept open on the front-right side to the waist down. The dress only covers up to the upper part of her arms and the underside of her breasts. Underneath the dress, she wore mesh armor that covers slightly more of her upper body than her dress. She also wore a skirt of the same color as her dress, with mesh leggings that reached down to her knees. She had high-heeled sandals and shinguards. She was a definite Femme Fatale.

The Tsuchikage then followed suit. He was an old man even smaller than Gato. He had a large red nose, a triangular beard and a moustache that had angular corners, as well as thick eyebrows. He was almost bald, having hair on the back of his head in a chonmage haircut, which was tied in a top-knot by a yellow band. He wore a green and yellow coat with a red collar. Underneath, he wore the traditional Iwagakure outfit, which was a light-green version of Iwagakure's flak jacket and mesh armor.

The Raikage was a dark-skinned, blond-haired man with a hulking muscular build. His hair was combed back, and he had a small moustache and beard. His face had pronounced cheekbones and tear troughs, along with a prominent crease on his forehead. The Raikage wore his Kage Haori while remaining shirtless. He had golden bangle bracelets on his wrist. He also wore a large golden belt around his waist that had a boar's face engraved in the centre. Overall, he looked like a wrestler and a boxer.

Gaara's outfit was no different from before.

Behind each Kage, the Kanji of their Country was on a flag, with another behind Mifune with the Kanji for 'samurai'.

"The Five Kage have been assembled due to Raikage-dono's request." Mifune said. "I am Mifune, your moderator. The Five Kage Summit will now commence!"

"Then I shall start..." Gaara started, before he was interrupted by the Tsuchikage.

"Looks like there's been quite a change to the Five Kage recently." He said mockingly. "For two people to become Kage at such young age is impressive, Kazekage-dono, Hokage-dono. Kazekage-dono must have learned from his father, although it looks like he left out some lessons in manners."

"My apologies, Tsuchikage-dono." Naruto said. "But as the one who interrupted Kazekage-dono, you are in no position to talk about manners."

"Hokage-dono is correct, Tsuchikage-dono." The Mizukage said before she turned to Gaara. "Please continue, Kazekage-dono."

Gaara nodded in gratitude to his two fellow Kage and continued. "I am a former Jinchuuriki. Akatsuki captured my Bijuu and nearly killed me. That is why I consider Akatsuki to be an increasing threat. I requested aid from the Five Kage several times, but was repeatedly denied, with the exception of the previous Hokage and the direct assistance of the current one. In a time when various countries have had their Jinchuuriki stolen, the response of this group has been far too slow."

The Tsuchikage grunted. "For a hidden village of one of the Five Great Countries to reveal that their Jinchuuriki has been stolen is extremely humiliating. The natural thing to do is to resolve this internally. To ask other countries for help when this happens is unheard of."

"Decency, honor... What a useless old fashioned way of thinking." Gaara said.

"Indeed." Naruto agreed. "As time goes on, our ways change to adapt with time. That is why each subsequent generation brings something new to the table that is the Shinobi World."

"Old-fashioned or not, as Mizukage, I will admit that we have indeed fallen behind on the issue." Mizukage said. "However, just because we have been robbed of our Bijuu does not mean we must give in to fear so readily. It takes great skill and wisdom to control a Bijuu, not to mention time."

"The Jinchuuriki and Bijuu must grow together to adapt to one another." Tsuchikage said. "Even then, controlling them is difficult. It can't happen overnight. Isn't that right, Kazekage-dono, Hokage-dono?"

"Ah, of course you would know of my status as a Jinchuuriki, Tsuchikage-dono." Naruto chuckled as the attention was on him. "I once had a conflict with one of your teams, after all. I do remember one of them, a girl named Suzumebachi."

Behind the Earth banner, the Tsuchikage's granddaughter's eyes widened. _This_ was the fearsome Konoha guy Suzumebachi and her team ran away from!?

Suddenly, Raikage slammed his fist on the table. "Enough with the small talk!"

Every bodyguard jumped down at the sign of aggression.

"We are here to talk." Mifune said. "Please resist resorting to such rude behavior."

"Kakashi, Neji." Naruto said, causing his bodyguards to stand down.

"You too, Kankuro, Temari." Gaara said.

"Ao, Chojuro, it's alright." Mizukage said.

Tsuchikage merely tilted his head.

The Raikage sat back down and crossed his arms.

Every bodyguard returned to the balcony.

"Konoha, Iwa, Suna, Kiri." The Raikage said. "Akatsuki is compromised of Nuke-nin from your villages. And that's not all." He turned to the Tsuchikage. "We have discovered there are some among you, including your previous Kage, that used the Akatsuki for their own benefit!"

"Used them?" Gaara asked.

"I don't trust any of you!" Raikage said. "I didn't come here to talk! I called you all here to question the depths of your loyalty!"

"What do you mean by using Akatsuki?" Gaara asked once more.

"So they haven't told their current Kazekage? Go ask your village elders! Your village used Akatsuki in the last war!"

"At the moment, our nations are experiencing some sense of stability." Tsuchikage said. "Instead of expanding their forces, they are disarming them. The threat of war diminishes as tensions ease between the countries. As a result, the hidden villages, the military forces of their countries, will be seen as costly and unnecessary. With that said, carelessly reducing the strength of the villages has its risks as well. What if war suddenly erupted? It'd be a real problem for them to rely on shinobi with no real battle experience. They would lose the war!"

"So one way to avoid that risk was to use a group of mercenaries..." Gaara said. "Like Akatsuki, right?"

"Training talented shinobi from your own village requires time and money." Tsuchikage said. "Akatsuki's members, who live for war, are professionals always ready to fight. They'll go to war for quite a low price. And above all, they'll deliver the best results possible."

"Get real, Tsuchkage!" Raikage said.

The Tsuchikage merely grunted

"Suna used Akatsuki in its destruction of Konoha." Raikage accused. "It was Orochimaru! I'm not sure if he had left Akatsuki yet or not, but because of him, your father, the Yondaime Kazekage, and Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, are dead! However, there is the possibility this is all part of someone's grand scheme. Kirigakure is the most suspicious of the lot! You never use diplomacy! And there are rumors that Akatsuki was formed in your village!"

Mizukage looked distraught. "I will tell the truth, since we've come this far. There were rumors that my predecessor, the Yondaime Mizukage, was being controlled by someone. It's possible to think it was Akatsuki. That's why we tried to keep this information from spreading."

Raikage growled. "All of you are..."

"Hold your tongue, Raikage." Tsuchikage interrupted. "Because your village ignored the rules of disarmament and continued to amass military strength and Ninjutsu, others had to compensate by relying on Akatsuki."

"What did you say!?" Raikage demanded as he rose from his seat.

"That's enough." Naruto said, catching everyone's attention. "We are here to talk about how to deal with Akatsuki. If all we do is cast blame at one another, then this Summit is not getting anywhere."

"Indeed." Mifune said. "As the representative of the neutral countries, I would like to say something. The leader of Akatsuki utilized the suspicions the countries had for each other in times of peace to strengthen himself."

"What are you trying to say!?" Raikage demanded.

"Have some patience." Mifune said. "I'm saying we should turn calamity into fortune. It has been many years since the Five Kage assembled like this. Until Akatsuki is dealt with, what do you say to forming the world's first Allied Shinobi Forces of the Five Hidden Villages?"

"Allying our countries' military forces to fight Akatsuki?" Naruto asked. "I second the idea. With the threat Akatsuki represents, we must stand united."

Mifune nodded. "Then we should specify a chain of command. We must avoid confusion at all cost."

"Then who will be in charge of the Allied Forces?" Tsuchikage asked.

"Letting you all make the decision would only lead to more disputes." Mifune said. "Therefore, please respect the stance of the neutral countries, and let me decide. I will decide which one of you five is the most qualified. I believe Kazekage-dono should be the one to receive the title of Supreme Commander of the Allied Shinobi forces."

Everyone was shocked at the claim.

"Leaving the Kazekage in charge of the Allied Shinobi Forces!?" Raikage asked. "Why the Kazekage!? He's nothing more than a brat!"

"Then who would be better suited?" Mifune challenged.

"None of the Akatsuki came from my village!" Raikage said. "I won't leave this to someone who can't be trusted! Therefore, I should be-"

"I cannot consent to that." Mifune interrupted.

"What did you say!?"

Mifune pointed at the damage Raikage made to the table. "I understand that passion and power are necessary to lead good soldiers. However, if we allow someone in command who cannot refrain from running on emotions and strength alone, then those soldiers would end up in pieces, just like that table."

Raikage growled.

"That is simply a calm observation as a representative of the neutral countries. Tsuchikage-dono is showing his age, which may be an obvious sign that his skills may have diminished. He has also relied on Akatsuki far too much. Mizukage-dono's Kirigakure is said to be the place where Akatsuki was founded, so there's the concern of information being leaked. There's also the fear that it might be infiltrated by spies. That leaves only two candidates, but as the only active Jinchuuriki, Hokage-dono is more suitable as front-line offensive than supreme commander, leaving the Kazekage-dono as the only candidate."

Suddenly, a plant rose in the middle of the room. It opened and revealed White Zetsu, without his black half. "Hello!" He said with much enthusiasm.

The bodyguards immediately stood at their Kage's sides, ready for battle.

"What is this!?" Raikage demanded.

"A member of Akatsuki." Naruto said.

"Sasuke Uchiha has infiltrated the building!" Zetsu said. "Now, where could he be hiding?"

Everyone was shocked.

"Everyone, let's hurry and find Sasuke!" Zetsu said.

Raikage immediately grabbed Zetsu by the neck. "Where is Sasuke Uchiha!?" He demanded.

"Alright then, how about a hint?" Zetsu offered.

But the Raikage snapped his neck.

"If Sasuke is here, we'll find him." Naruto said. "Neji!"

"Byakugan!" Neji activated his Doujutsu.

"Cee!" Raikage called out to one of his bodyguard, who started using chakra-sensing.

"It was unnecessary to kill him, Raikage-dono." Mizukage said. "If he had just been captured and interrogated, we could have gotten information on Akatsuki."

"There is no one in Akatsuki that would talk." Gaara said. "They're a pretty hardcore bunch."

"Okisuke, Urakaku, send out an order to search for Sasuke Uchiha." Mifune ordered his two bodyguards. "Also, set the battle condition to level 2."

"Found him!" Neji said.

"Same here!" Cee said.

"Then let's go!" Raikage said as he punched through a wall.

"Sorry about the table and wall." Raikage's dark-skinned bodyguard apologized.

"That's not important right now, Darui. Let's just go!" Cee said before the duo followed the Raikage.

"Sasuke is a Nuke-nin of Konoha. As such, it is our responsibility to deal with him." Naruto said.

"Then we shall assist you." Gaara said. "Suna helped Konoha in the mission to bring Sasuke back. I am also still indebted to you to this day, Naruto. I never would have been befitting the title of Kazekage without your help." Those not aware of Gaara's defeat at Naruto's hand raised an eyebrow at the claim.

Naruto nodded and the Konoha-Suna group also left the room to search for Sasuke.

They eventually found the Raikage in the middle of a battle with Sasuke, who had a strange dark-purple ribcage protecting him. Sasuke had impressive control of the Amaterasu flames, so much that he could use it to reinforce the ribcage's defense. The Raikage, at the sacrifice of his left arm, managed to hit Sasuke, which knocked him on the ground.

Raikage was about to attack Sasuke with an axe-kick, but Sasuke used the black flames to protect himself.

Before the Raikage could be hit by the flames, Gaara used his sand to protect the Raikage, giving the large man the opportunity to jump away from the flames.

"Kamaitachi no Jutsu!" Temari used her wind to cut the burning armor of a samurai while Kankuro used his chakra strings to pull the armor pieces away from the samurai. Both of them had saved his life from Amaterasu.

"Samurai, please stay back." Gaara said. "This is a matter of the Shinobi World. There's no need for you to become sacrifices."

"Why did you interfere, Kazekage!?" Raikage demanded. "Depending on your answer, I might not let you get away with this!"

"Are you saying you want to die by being burned to death?" Naruto asked.

"NARUTO!" Sasuke roared.

"It's been a while, Sasuke." Naruto said. "Why are you here?"

"When I heard you became Hokage and were headed for this Summit, I saw it as the opportunity to settle the score." Sasuke growled.

Raikage used lightning chakra to amputate his burning left arm before Cee used Medical Ninjutsu to stop the bleeding.

Sasuke glared at Naruto with his Mangekyo Sharingan, blood dripping down his closed left eye.

"That's a mean look you've got there." Naruto commented.

Sasuke opened his left eye, which would have burned Naruto with Amaterasu if it hadn't been for Gaara's sand blocking it.

"It seems your Absolute Defense is as reliable as ever, Gaara." Sasuke smirked.

"Ranton: Reiza Sakasu!" Darui called out suddenly as he prepared to launch a Storm Jutsu.

"Akahigi: Kiki Sankaku!" Kankuro said as he prepared his newest puppet: Sasori's 'real body'.

"Ookamaitachi!" Temari said, bracing her fan.

"Rendan: Suna Shigure!" Gaara said, sand swriling around him.

Darui launched laser-like lightning chakra, the Sasori puppet shot dozens of Kunai, Temari swung her fan to unleash a large gust of wind and Gaara launched dozens of sand projectiles.

The combination of attacks caused a massive explosion around Sasuke. But when the smoke dissipated, they saw that the ribcage had turned into a skeletal upper body. It used its hand to protect Sasuke.

"Behold the true Absolute Defense." Sasuke boasted.

"Is this...the power of darkness?" Gaara wondered.

Sasuke smirked. "This is power only those who awakened the Mangekyo in both eyes can attain... The third power... Susano'o!"

Susano'o's left hand was about to swing a chakra-made blade, only for a dark-purple hand to catch Susano'o's wrist before it could swing.

Everyone, except Neji who had seen it before, was shocked to see Kitsune appear around Naruto in a similar fashion to Susano'o.

"Two can play that game." Naruto said.

Sasuke's eyes widened before lava fell on Susano'o, forcing Kitsune to let go of the wrist. The chakra-made upper body was unaffected by the Jutsu.

"Akatsuki toyed with the Yondaime Mizukage and trampled on our village..." The newly-arrived Mizukage said before she wiped the excess lava from her lips.

The others from the Summit also joined them.

"Stay out of my way!" Sasuke demanded as he glared at the woman. "This is between me and Naruto!"

Mizukage sighed. "It is a shame to have to kill such a handsome man. But at least I'll give you a kiss that will melt your heart."

Naruto sweatdropped as he couldn't help being reminded of Fuka. These women and their deadly kisses...

Mizukage spat out lava, which Susano'o blocked.

"Chojuro!" Mizukage called out.

"Hai!" The glass-wearing bodyguard said before he jumped toward Sasuke. "Hiramekarei, Kai!" The bandages on his sword undid themselves, revealing a large blade and a massive amount of chakra that took the shape of a hammer.

When the hammer tried to hit Sasuke, Susano'o blocked the hit, but it still recoiled at the impact.

Sasuke was panting. His entire body hurt like hell. His Susano'o turned back into the ribcage.

"I will finish this." Mizukage said as she made a handsign. "I use three elements: Fire, water and earth. With these, I have two Kekkei Genkai. Futton: Koumu no Jutsu!" She exhaled a mist toward Sasuke.

Sasuke almost waved it off, thinking Susano'o would protect him. But his eyes widened when the mist made the ribcage melt.

Sasuke tried to make his Susano'o stronger, but he fell to his knees and coughed blood.

"He's running himself ragged by using the Mangekyo in such a manner!" Kakashi said. "He will quickly lose his sight!"

"You really were pushed far while fighting everyone." Mizukage commented. "I'm sorry, but I have no intention of saving you. It always pains my heart to see a man crumble away like this, but I'll kill you now."

However, before she could finish off Sasuke, everyone that was at the summit was restrained by a copy of Zetsu that sprouted from their bodies, draining their chakra in order to grow.

It worked to Naruto's advantage, however. Using his restrained state, he absorbed nature energy. The moment he activated Sennin Modo, the Zetsu on him released his body and remained paralysed on the floor.

Seeing this, Naruto ripped the Zetsu copies off of everyone, through his Senjutsu-coated hands. In the middle of doing this, his Senjutsu sensory ability picked up four other chakra signatures. One was Tobi's, another was similar to his own, meaning an Uzumaki, a third one felt like water and the last one seemed to constantly absorb nature energy.

"Thank you for the assistance, Hokage-dono." Mifune thanked Naruto, who nodded in acknowledgement.

"A Hokage and a Sennin? How impressive for one so young." Mizukage commented after she used her Yoton Ninjutsu to melt the Zetsus.

The group all turned to Sasuke, who couldn't even stand on his feet.

"To think a brat like you killed Deidara..." Tsuchikage told Sasuke before he made some handsigns. "I have no grudge against you, but the Shinobi World wants you dead!" A cube of chakra appeared between his hands.

The cube was thrown at Sasuke before expanding, trapping Sasuke within.

"Jinton: Genkai Hakuri no Jutsu!" Tsuchikage called out.

The cube glowed a moment before it became completely empty and disappeared.

"His body has been dispersed into molecules." Tsuchikage said.

"Has it really?" Tobi's deep voice was heard, causing everyone to look his way. The masked Akatsuki member was holding an unconscious Sasuke over his shoulder. _"I did not think the Jinchuuriki could use the Kyuubi's chakra in a Susano'o-like state. I'll have to take Sasuke back to the hideout after this, so he can transplant Itachi's eyes."_

"Sasuke!" Karin called out from a higher balcony.

Tobi appeared behind Karin. "Heal him." He ordered before Sasuke and Karin disappeared in a vortex from his eye.

Tobi then turned his attention to everyone else in the room. "I am Madara Uchiha." He claimed. "I have something I want to explain to you. After that, there is something I want to ask you."

"What are you talking about!?" The Raikage demanded.

"I am talking about my goal: Tsuki no Mei." Madara said.

"I couldn't care less about Akatsuki's plans!" Raikage said. "I'll never agree to it!"

"Why do you want Sasuke at your side?" Gaara asked.

"A Sharingan capable of awakening Susano'o is rare." Madara answered. "I want to gather good eyes. I wanted him to improve his Doujutsu even more by putting him up against the Five Kage. I was the one who sent Sasuke here. I was hoping that he would weaken you all, but that's not happening yet."

"I'm really surprised that _the_ Madara Uchiha is still alive, but would a man of your caliber choose such an indirect approach?" Tsuchikage asked. "With your strength, you could make any plan go the way you'd want it to."

"Even now, I am affected by the wounds given to me by Hashirama." Madara said. "Currently, I am but a shell of the shinobi I once was."

"So this is a plan to return you to your full power?" Cee asked.

"I suppose you can consider it that, but there's more to the plan. I plan to make everything become one with me. A complete being where all is unified!"

"Become one? All unified?" The Tsuchikage repeated. "What does that mean!?"

"The Uchiha have a tablet that has been passed down for generations. It still exists underneath Konoha. On it, a secret that has been written by the Rikudo Sennin ages ago. To be able to read it, you need the right power. By using the Sharingan, Mangekyo Sharingan and the Rinnegan, in that order, you can decipher it."

"Now your story is getting even more unbelievable." Tsuchikage said. "Like the Rikudo Sennin."

"This is the truth!" Madara said. "He existed, and left behind a stone tablet."

"What does your plan and the Rikudo Sennin have to do with each other!?" Raikage demanded.

"Well, do you know why he became a legend and is regarded as the Kami no Shinobi?" Madara asked. "This is where you can find the connection between him and my plan!"

"Madara Uchiha, you possess the Mangekyo Sharingan, and there was a member of Akatsuki with the Rinnegan. You know everything, don't you?" Mizukage asked.

"A long time ago, he saved the world from a certain monster. A piece of that monster is within Naruto and another one was once within Gaara."

"The Bijuu were once a single being?" Naruto asked.

Madara nodded. "The combination of the Bijuu, as well as the strongest chakra: the Juubi! Gaara's Shukaku, the Ichibi! Nibi no Bakeneko, Yugito Nii of Kumogakure's Bijuu! Yondaime Mizukage's Sanbi! Yoton no Roshi's Yonbi! Han of Iwagakure's Gobi! The Nuke-nin Utakata's Rokubi! Fuu of Takigakure's Nanabi! The Raikage's younger brother, Killer Bee's Hachibi! And Naruto Uzumaki's Kyuubi! All Bijuu are no more than beings created by dispersing the Juubi's chakra. By the hands of the Rikudo Sennin."

"So that's why you're collecting the Bijuu?" Kankuro asked.

"The Rikudo Sennin developed a certain Ninjutsu in order to protect the world from the Juubi. This Ninjutsu is still being passed down. The Jinchuuriki Fuinjutsu system."

"Are you saying the Rikudo Sennin was the Juubi Jinchuuriki?" Naruto asked.

"That is exactly what I am saying." Madara confirmed. "To immobilize the Juubi, he sealed it away within his own body. By the people who have been suffering due to the Bijuu, the Sennin was worshipped as a god. But when he dies, the seal would break, and the wicked chakra of the Juubi would be released once again. Fearing this, before his death, the Rikudo Sennin used the last of his powers to disperse the Juubi's chakra into nine pieces and spread them all over the world. Then he took the chakra-less body of the Juubi, sealed it and threw it up into the sky. There, it became the moon!"

"That's too tall of a tale." Darui said. "As if a human would be able to do anything like that!"

"When the Rikudo Sennin became the Juubi Jinchuuriki, he became more than just a human." Madara countered.

"I understand that you are collecting those nine Bijuu to obtain that inhuman power." Mifune said. "But what will you do once you have that power?"

"Resurrect the Juubi!" Madara said. "Then, I will become its Jinchuuriki! By using that power, I will strengthen my Doujutsu and invoke a certain Jutsu. A Genjutsu, using the moon to project my eyes: Mugen Tsukuyomi!"

Kakashi's eyes widened. He knew the ability of the normal Tsukuyomi. He dreaded the thought of a Genjutsu even more powerful.

"I will cast a Genjutsu on all humans in existence." Madara said. "I will control all humans with that Genjutsu and unite the world! A world with no reserve or dispute! Everything will become one with me! Everything will become one unity! _That_ is Tsuki no Mei!"

"We'll never hand over the world to you!" The Raikage said.

"An illusionary peace is just a deception!" Gaara said. "It only holds meaning if it happens in the real world!"

"What will there be inside that!?" Mizukage demanded. "There will be no dreams or hope! Only running!"

"You say you will unite the world, but you really want to make the world your own!" Tsuchikage said.

Madara chuckled. "Then what have you Five Kage been able to do? You should be able to understand this the most. There is no such thing as hope! Hope is the same as giving up! That's why there's no other way than to make it a deception! Hand over the remaining Hachibi and Kyuubi and cooperate with my plan! If you don't, there will be war!"

"Hachibi?" Raikage asked. "What do you mean!? Bee was taken by y-"

"The capture of the Hachibi failed and he got away." Madara admitted. "Being a Jinchuuriki and the perfect shinobi. Only your younger brother is capable of that."

Darui sighed. "That's what I figured."

"That idiot!" Raikage roared comically. "So, he used this chance to get out of the village and have some fun!? I won't forgive him for this! He'll taste my Iron Claw!"

Gaara stood between Naruto and Madara. "I will not let you have him!"

"I feel the same!" Mizukage said.

"Like hell I'll hand over my brother!" Raikage said.

"I might not have much power, but I still have the power of the Bijuu I've gathered so far. You won't be able to win." Madara claimed.

"_Not for long."_ Naruto thought.

"I will not throw away hope!" Gaara said.

"So be it." Madara sighed. "I hereby declare the Fourth Great Shinobi War! Next time, we will meet on the battlefield!" He then disappeared in his vortex.

"So, what do we do now?" Tsuchikage asked.

"We form an Allied Shinobi Force." Gaara said. "There is no other way for us to match the power of seven Bijuu."

"Are you still against the idea, Raikage-dono?" Mizukage asked.

"My brother is safe." Raikage said. "But we cannot let Akatsuki do what they want. We'll form this Allied Force and end this once and for all."

"Konoha will also be a part of this alliance." Naruto said, with Kakashi and Neji nodding in agreement.

"Raikage-sama, we should assemble a search for Killer Bee-sama right away." Cee advised. "If Akatsuki are still after the Hachibi and Kyuubi, they must still be hunting Bee down."

Raikage nodded. "Right. Send word to the village to assemble a search party to find Bee."

"We should also let Team Samui know about this." Darui said. "Omoi and Karui were feeling pretty down."

"If we have any hope of stopping Madara's Tsuki no Mei, we cannot let him obtain the Hachibi and Kyuubi! I apologize, Hokage-dono, but it is best to find the Hachibi and hide the two of you." The Mizukage said.

"If that is how I must do my part in the incoming war..." Naruto said reluctantly. In truth, this was perfect. If he and this 'Bee' were to be hidden in the same place, then it would make everything easier.

"Still, we do not know what kind of power Madara has obtained after amassing seven Bijuu already. He may even have a Jutsu that utilizes their power. Wouldn't it be favorable to our Allied Shinobi Force if we used the Hachibi and Kyuubi in battle?"

"We cannot do that." Gaara said. "Protecting these two is our goal in this war. It's no wonder Madara has decided to ignite a war with the seven Bijuu he has. It's most likely that both Madara and the remaining Akatsuki members, in their weakened state, cannot easily capture the Hachibi and Kyuubi. Even if he could, he probably felt the risk was too high. Which is why he may be using the war to lure them out. Overall, it would be detrimental to use the Hachibi and Kyuubi in battle."

"I believe so too." Mizukage said.

"I as well." Raikage said. "Knowing the risk it carries, we cannot simply present the Hachibi and Kyuubi right before Akatsuki's eyes. Besides, The Hachibi, my brother, is not one to follow any kind of strategy. I have no idea what he might end up doing. He may create even more chaos on the battlefield!"

Tsuchikage turned to Naruto. "What about you? Aren't you against the idea of hiding from the enemy?"

"I must admit, I am reluctant to accept that, being the only one in Konoha who could defeat Pain, the Rinnegan user." Naruto said. "But while the Hachibi and Kyuubi together could very well be able to trample over the other seven, there's no way of knowing if they don't have a way to ambush a Jinchuuriki for easy picking. There is also Souma Kurusu to consider."

The other four Kage frowned at the thought of the 'Bloodline Thief'.

"It's decided, then." Raikage said. "I shall relay information about my brother to your villages. Use that to assemble search parties. If you find him, contact me immediately. My brother will only listen to me."

"Um...There was a member of Akatsuki called Kisame Hoshigaki who is, like me, a member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist." Chojuro said.

"The shark with Samehada." Naruto said.

Chojuro nodded. "He has chakra on par with a Jinchuuriki. And like Hokage-sama said, he has Samehada, which is considered evil, even among the seven swordsmen. Such a combination can very well match the power of a Jinchuuriki."

"We are aware of that." Tsuchikage said. "There is a more urgent matter. Mifune-dono recommended Kazekage-dono for Supreme Commander."

"That is no longer the case." Mifune said. "Now that he knows his brother is fine, Raikage-dono has the calmness required of a Supreme Commander. With Hokage-dono's willingness to cooperate into hiding, only Raikage-dono can make his little brother do the same."

"We no longer have the luxury of disagreeing with each other." Mizukage said. "I shall believe in Raikage-dono."

"You have our trust, Raikage." Gaara said.

"Very well, then." Raikage acknowledged. "I will command the Allied Forces." He then turned to Tsuchikage. "Ryotenbin no Onoki, as the only one among us who fought Madara Uchiha before, we'll need all the information you have on him."

Onoki smirked. "I wonder if you've always had a liking for giving out orders."

"I don't care if you don't trust me." Raikage said. "But if we stand still, our Shinobi World as we know it will end. We have to put aside our personal differences for now and cooperate with each other!"

"Anything's better than losing this war." Onoki said. "After all, if our world ended, I wouldn't be able to argue with you. I'll help you out. The Shinobi Alliance is now formed! We should inform our respective Daimyo right away."

With that, the Summit ended and every party went back to their village. Kakashi sent one of his Ninken to send the reports of the Summit to Konoha, so that the Daimyo would be informed of the situation right away.

On the way back to the village, they learned that Killer Bee was found and that Kisame was killed.

* * *

When they made it back to the village, Naruto saw two things. One, the many houses built in the crater. The reconstructions were going amazingly well, which he was sure was because of Yamato's Mokuton. The other thing he saw was the scaffolding next to Tsunade's Hokage head.

Naruto blinked. Were they already sculpting his face on the Hokage Mountain?

An Anbu then came to him with surprising news: Tsunade recovered from her coma!

"Have messengers send word of Godaime-sama's recovery to the other villages of the Alliance. Spread the news to the villagers as well." Naruto ordered before he tipped the Hokage Hat. "I can't be Hokage anymore, now that she is back with us."

"Yes sir!" The Anbu said before he disappeared.

Naruto headed for the cabin and stood before the room, which was open. Tsunade was wolfing down large quantities of food, probably to get her chakra reserves back to her normal levels, with Shizune looking on nervously.

Naruto knocked on the door frame, getting the duo's attention.

"Yo." Naruto said.

"Hello there, Rokudaime-sama." Tsunade said jokingly.

"It was either me or Danzo." Naruto said. "Besides, it was only until you recovered."

"Better you than him." Tsunade said before she got back to eating. "I heard about the Summit and the Alliance. To think both the Tsuchikage and the Raikage would cooperate."

"No kidding." Naruto chuckled before he turned serious. "That only shows how desperate the situation is."

Tsunade nodded. "Madara Uchiha. Is he really alive?"

"He's wearing a mask, so I can't say for sure it's him." Naruto said. "But one cannot claim such a name without having enough skill to back it up."

"A Fourth Great War..." Tsunade muttered. "To think the Uchiha's fate would involve all shinobi. We're holding a conference when I'm done eating! We're preparing for war!"

**I'm especially proud of this one, between changing Pain's fight a bit and the fight with Danzo. Anyways, next time: the last completed chapter. I think there will be two more chapters after that, or maybe just one, depending on the second one's length.**


	17. Chapter 17: Turtle Island and War

**Leonardobluesummers: Yeah, the persuasion of Nagato could have gone better, I admit. The funny thing is: it didn't click in my head that, unlike Danzo, this Naruto would be able to use Kotoamatsukami multiple times a day until after I read your review. Oops, that's my bad. Still, after travelling with Jiraiya for 2 years, some of the arguments used still hold water. Whether or not this Naruto believed in them like the Canon Naruto is a different story.**

**I'm very satified with the way I made Naruto Hokage. I've seen other stories do it, but I've had some problems with them, like the Daimyo suddenly growing a pair after the many times Danzo intimidated him. How does that make sense?**

**Now, about the pairings. There are none planned for this specific story. _However,_ I have enjoyed writing this Naruto/Dracula very much. And that's why I want to make this a multi-series. I want to see how far I can take this. It's gonna be wild ride that I'm sure I'll enjoy.**

**Here's the current planned schedule: finishing this story, followed by the Rosario fanfic mentioned several chapters back, then the Naruto/Dbz crossover where Naruto has Broly's powers, since it's the only one that got votes currently, and finally, the sequel to Shinobi's Lament: SL(short for Shinobi's Lament) Fate/Zero Apocrypha. That last one is still a title in progress. Hopefully, things will go as planned.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 17: Turtle Island and War**

The next day, Fukasaku reverse-summoned him, saying the Great Elder had requested his presence.

"I've brought him." Fukasaku told the Great Elder, a large maroon toad.

"Ah, it is I who called you forth...who are you again?"

Naruto, back in his Gama Sennin cloak, sweatdropped at the Great Elder. "Naruto Uzumaki."

"Oh, yes that's right! That's right! Naruto, was it? I have seen your future."

Naruto's eyes widened. _"Uh oh."_ Did the toads know about Drac-

"You will soon meet an octopus."

"Huh?" Naruto said. Was the Hachibi an octopus? They would both be hiding soon, possibly at the same place, so maybe that's what he meant.

"I could not see it clearly, but I saw octopus' tentacles. Then you will battle a young man, wielding power in his eyes."

"Sasuke." Naruto said.

"You have already met him, the young man with power in his eyes?"

"I have seen him on multiple occasions." Naruto answered.

The Great Elder stayed silent for a moment before he spoke again. "Gerotora! I have foreseen that Naruto will master the Kyuubi's chakra without the key!"

Gerotora and Fukasaku looked at Naruto in shock.

"Well, with that, I should send you back." Fukasaku said before he clapped his hands, sending Naruto back.

"_Alas..."_ The Great Elder thought. _"There is nothing even we can do. The darkness that was long gone shall swallow the world whole."_

* * *

When Naruto was back in the village, he resumed his walk.

"Naruto!" Naruto turned around to see a panting Sakura running toward him. "Where the hell did you disappear to!?"

"The Toads summoned me." Naruto answered. "What is it?"

"Tsunade-sama, and everyone else, is worried about you! Come on, follow me!"

Naruto followed Sakura to Tsunade in the meeting cabin.

* * *

"You were with the Great Elder Toad Sage?" Tsunade asked.

Naruto nodded. "I was."

"It would have been nice if Fukasaku-sama notified us first." Tsunade sighed. "Why were you called?"

"A prophecy." Naruto said. "Something about meeting an octopus."

"An octopus?" Kakashi asked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Naruto shrugged. "My guess is that the Hachibi is an octopus. I'm bound to meet Killer Bee, so maybe that's what he meant."

"That's possible." Tsunade said. "Anything else?"

"He also said I'll be fighting Sasuke."

Sakura looked worried.

* * *

One day, Tsunade went to Kumo for an Allliance meeting. When she returned, she called for Naruto.

"They've found a hiding place?" Naruto asked.

Tsunade nodded. "It's a special island where the Raikage and his little brother used to train. While we are waging war with Akatsuki, you will be on that island, training in mastering the Kyuubi's chakra. Yamato will accompany you there."

Naruto nodded. "Understood."

Naruto packed up and went to meet up with Yamato, who had Guy and a Tokubetsu Jonin by the name of Aoba by his side.

They left for a port town in Hi no Kuni to take a boat that would take them to Kaminari no Kuni. Once they arrived, they took another boat to the special island, which apparently was Kumo's version of the Forest of Death.

* * *

Along the way, Naruto learned an interesting fact about Guy: the poor man has seasickness. Aoba took him inside the boat to help him.

Suddenly, the boat was attacked by a giant squid, but was quickly repelled by an ox that had octopus tentacles.

"Ya better squidaddle, or imma make ya!" The ox said.

"_The Hachibi."_ Naruto thought. _"The Great Elder was right."_

"Killer Bee-sama!" One of Kumo's shinobi said in relief.

"You're all late!" Bee said as the Hachibi disappeared within his body. He was carrying Samehada on his back.

* * *

When they docked the boat, they went within the forest island. Killer Bee would calm down any beast that got close to them.

They eventually arrived in a building where the Konoha-nin were given rooms.

Naruto went on a walk and, when he was alone, made a Kage Bunshin that would eventually guide Dracula here. This was the perfect chance to get the Hachibi, despite the amount of shinobi here.

After that, Killer Bee and another Kumo-nin name Motoi took him and Yamato to the Waterfall of Truths.

"The first step to controlling the Bijuu is to face your true self." Motoi said. "Sit on the rock in the middle of the pond and you will meet your true self."

Naruto did so and he suddenly was all alone.

A figure then appeared from the waterfall.

Naruto got up. "Yo."

The true self smirked. "Soon...all nine of them will be his to take. Only the Hachibi is left. Let's do our best."

Naruto nodded before he felt himself leave the mindscape.

Naruto got up and smirked at the group.

"It looks like things went well." Yamato said.

"It's too early to rejoice, fool ya fool." Bee said as he walked toward the waterfall. "Now, let's see if you can manage to control Kyuubi's power. Follow me!"

He jumped right in front of the waterfall before he walked right into it. A cave?

Naruto followed him right in, with Yamato not far behind.

Behind the waterfall was a large room with headless statues and drawings of the Nibi and Hachibi on the walls. There was also a temple of sort on the other side of the cave.

"You'll fight the Kyuubi here." Bee said.

Naruto said. "Fight? Kurama's been pretty tame since a certain accident."

"Accident?" Bee asked.

Naruto nodded. "Ever heard of Hoshigakure."

Bee nodded. "Weird place with a 'unique star'. Doesn't matter, 'cause Killer Bee is Kumo's one and only star! Whee!"

Naruto and Yamato sweatdropped. "Anyways, since Kurama's chakra has been accidently enhanced by the star, I've pretty much had access to all of its chakra. I've just never needed to go Kyuubi, only Rokubi at most."

"I see. Well, that makes things easy for you, see?" Bee said before he walked into the temple and pressed a switch inside a beast's head to open a secret wall. Beyond the wall was a colorful void.

"Alright, since you supposedly control all of number nine's chakra, show me the full power!" Bee said as the door out of the void closed.

Naruto shrugged and unleashed Kyuubi's full power. Even he was shocked at the difference. Instead of a large, nine-tailed fox, he was still normal-sized and was surrounded by an orange and dark-purple shroud with two hair-like horns and swirl designs that resemble the Uzumaki swirl. His shroud parted in the middle and formed a full-length haori, revealing a dark purple shirt-like shroud, that had three magatama markings on each side of the collar, and his whiskers seemed thicker.

"That's impressive." Yamato commented. "I can feel Hashirama-sama's DNA within me react to the life force you are leaking."

Naruto looked at Bee. Or, more accurately, over Bee's shoulder. "I can feel your ill intent. Come out."

Samehada jumped away from Bee and Kisame emerged from its mouth. "Feeling someone's ill intent is very special for a sensory-type shinobi. A benefit of controlling Kyuubi's power, I'm sure."

"How did you manage to escape our tag-team attack?" Bee asked.

"I switched places with a parasitic clone while in the mass of water." Kisame explained. "All the ink you spread around really helped me go unnoticed. Well, I don't really need to explain anymore. I was supposed to capture you, Hachibi, but facing two Jinchuuriki and a Mokuton user is just too much, even for me."

Through one of Samehada's scales, Kisame pushed a hidden button on the floor, which opened the door, and crawled out of the void.

The moment he was about to reach the door, however, he was punched on the back, courtesy of Naruto, who appeared from his previous spot to over Kisame.

"Shunshin no Jutsu!?" Bee wondered. "Heading first, straight into the clash! From where I'm standing, just like a Yellow Flash!"

Kisamehada spat out blood. _"So fast..."_ He then successfully crawled away from the void.

The trio immediately gave chase. When they passed through the waterfall, they saw Kisamehada getting kicked by Guy, who had recovered from his seasickness.

Samehada then separated itself from Kisame and returned to Bee, leaning against the man and growled apologetically.

"Samehada..." Kisame growled.

Guy, Aoba and Motoi were shocked at Naruto's new look.

Kisame swam underwater and grabbed Samehada's hilt to force it into absorbing Bee's chakra.

Kisame, after enough recovery, emerged from the water. "Suiton: Suikodan no Jutsu!"

A water shark formed around Kisame before shooting up in the air.

"He's trying to cross the barrier!" Motoi said

"I'll stop him!" Guy said as he opened six of the Eight Gates.

"Let yourself be captured by my Hachibi arms, my odd beastly friend!" Bee said as his right arm grew in size and turned into the Hachibi's. "I'll throw you away in the direction of ten!"

"Don't sacrifice the truth for the sake of a rhyme!" Motoi said before pointing at Kisame's direction. "The direction is two o'clock!"

Guy jumped on Bee enlarged hand. "Do it!"

Bee threw Guy in the direction Kisame went to before almost passing out from using too much chakra after Samehada absorbed a lot of it already.

"Bee-san, are you alright?" Aoba asked.

"I'm okay, be back in a sec." Bee said before he slumped.

* * *

Once Bee was back on his feet, everyone hurried to catch up with Guy and Kisame. On their way, a massive shockwave emerged from their destination.

"What the hell is that?" Motoi wondered.

"That's Guy-san's Eight Gates: Hirudora."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. If this was an Eight Gates Jutsu, then Guy would be severely weakened when the battle would be over. He could soon give the signal.

"Hirudora's force spreads rapidly over a vast distance. We need to brace ourselves!" Yamato said.

The group was then hit by a massive wind created by the shockwave. Everyone did their best to stand their ground until it stopped.

Guy came back with Kisame over his shoulder before throwing the shark-man on the grass. Yamato then restrained Kisame with the Mokuton. Naruto deactivated 'Kyuubi Mode', now that it wasn't needed.

"If we do this right, we could find out Akatsuki's military plans, what information they have, and their leader's identity." Aoba said. "I'm not on Inoichi-san's level, but I'll try to extract what he knows." He then placed a hand on Kisame's head and another on his own head and started reading his memories.

Eventually, however, Kisame bit his tongue to draw blood, snapping the both of them out of the Jutsu, before using all his might to escape the Mokuton.

Kisame then surrounded himself with water by using Suiton: Suiro no Jutsu and summon sharks inside the water prison. However, the sharks started eating him, to everyone's shock. The water prison and the sharks dispelled once Kisame was completely eaten.

"He had his sharks eat him..." Aoba said. "He determined he couldn't escape us."

"That is how the man who teamed up with Itachi-san, Kisame Hoshigaki, met his end." Yamato said.

Samehada was growling.

"He's crying tears of sorrow, boo-hoo." Bee said as he patted the living sword. "This time, it seems to be true."

"He did it to prevent us, his enemy, from getting any information from him." Naruto said.

"He was an enemy, but I salute him!" Guy said. "A Shinobi's life is judged by their death. Kisame Hoshigaki, I shall remember you for as long as I live." He then pulled out a scroll. "Well, at least no information was leaked to Akatsuki."

"So he had written down intel on us on that scroll and wanted to send it out." Aoba said.

"Let's have a look at what's on it." Motoi suggested. "If we know what they're interested in, we can counter their moves better."

Guy nodded before he opened the scroll. His eyes widened as a large quantity of water shot out of the scroll and trapped everyone in water prisons.

Sharks shot out of the scroll and occupied the group before one last shark grabbed the scroll with its jaw and used a water prison to head out to see.

However, it was caught and pulled back by Naruto's chakra chains. When the shark and Naruto's waters were close enough, Naruto reactivated Kyuubi Mode and grew extra arms that ripped both of his sharks to shreds. Naruto repeated the process with the other sharks.

With the booby trap destroyed, everyone was freed from the water prisons.

"Well done, Naruto-kun." Yamato praised. "If it hadn't been for your chains, Akatsuki would have had an advantage in the war."

"Just doing my part, which is about all I can do, since I'm hiding." Naruto said before he noticed the twitching Guy on the ground. "Are you alright, Guy-sensei? Do you need to be carried back to bed?" He asked before he made a Kage Bunshin.

"Naruto-kun, don't touch Guy-san right now!" Yamato said. "Opening so many of the Eight Gates made his body very sensitive to pain. Any physical contact right now would only be bad for Guy-san."

Naruto nodded before he turned to his clone with a purpose in his eyes. The clone's lips twitched upwards before it dispelled. It was finally time.

After that, Naruto, Bee and Yamato returned to the cave to continue Naruto's training. He would use Kyuubi Mode's chakra arms to stack blocks on one another. Too much power and the blocks would break.

After successfully stacking the blocks, Bee took the Konoha duo to another room like the void.

"I'm gonna teach you the strongest Jutsu a Jinchuuriki can do." Bee said.

"The Bijuudama?" Naruto asked.

"Oh, you know about that?" Bee asked.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I can do it quite easily."

"He's impressive." The Hachibi said from within Bee's mind. "This kid's got even more potential than you do."

"Well...I guess your training's complete, then." Bee said.

"In that case, I'll try something of my own." Naruto said before he sat down. "Mixing Kyuubi Mode with Senjutsu."

"A good objective. Both of these abilities grant great advantages separately. If he is able to mix them together, then not even the two of us will be able to compete against him."

"_Kid's got high standards."_ Bee thought.

Naruto first gathered nature chakra and activated Sennin Modo before then activating Kyuubi Modo. Even with the shroud, his eyes gained the orange eye-shadow. He opened his eyes, revealing that they were now a mix of his Sennin eyes and Kyuubi eyes. The irises were crimson and he had both the Kyuubi pupils and the Sennin pupils, making his pupils look like crosses.

"Impressive chakra. All right, kid, let's see you improve your Jutsu with this new form." Bee said.

Naruto nodded, inwardly smirking as he knew what was probably happening outside by now.

* * *

**Outside of the cave**

Dracula and the Kage Bunshin stood over the corpses of most of the guards on the island, including Aoba and Motoi.

"Who else is left?" Dracula asked as he flicked the blood off of Crissaegrim's blade.

"Guy is bedridden due to his body being extra sensitive to pain." The clone, using Senjutsu to feel people's presence, answered. "I can't feel Yamato, the Hachibi or Boss, so they're probably inside the cave behind the waterfall, in that training room."

"It was good of him to wait until Guy was weakened. He is easily one of the bigger threats on this island." Dracula said. "Take me to Guy first. I do not want to give him the time to recover."

The clone nodded before it guided Dracula to the only building on the island.

'Naruto' stopped before Guy's room and knocked on the door.

"C-Come in..." Guy said weakly.

'Naruto' opened the door and entered the room. "Everything all right, Guy-sensei?" He asked.

"Ah, Naruto-kun..." Guy said as he tried, and failed, to sit up. "I am still too weak to even move."

"That's good news for me." Guy's eyes widened as Dracula entered the room and walked past 'Naruto'.

"S-Souma Kurusu..." Guy said.

"You remember me, even though we've only seen each other for a few minutes." Dracula said. "Kisame, if he wasn't already dead, would be very upset if he heard that."

Guy turned his gaze to 'Naruto'. "N-Naruto-kun... Why? He's trying to get Kyuubi!"

"Do not talk as if you know what's going on." Dracula said before he tilted his mask to reveal half of his face.

Guy's eyes widened. "I-It can't be..."

Dracula put his mask back in place and readied Crissaegrim. "Now do you see? It's useless to resist. I already have eight of the nine Bijuu at my disposal, and the only ones standing in my way are Yamato and the Hachibi Jinchuuriki himself."

"_Lee...Neji...Tenten...I'm sorry..."_ Guy thought before Dracula killed him, gaining his soul.

At that exact moment, a certain Taijutsu-using Chunin felt a sting in his heart.

"We are done here." Dracula said. "Take me to the Hachibi."

The clone guided Dracula to the cave. He stood before the statue of the Nibi's, Matatabi's, head and pressed the switch in the mouth.

Dracula stood before the opening door and gazed in the void.

"It's empty." He said.

The clone frowned. "Like the drawings on the wall, there's probably another room like this one, with a statue of the Hachibi's head."

Upon searching the place, they did indeed find a second statue head, Gyuki's.

The clone pressed the switch inside the mouth and Dracula stood before the opening door.

"I have found you, Hachibi." Dracula said.

Now knowing the objective was met, the clone dispelled, giving Naruto the memories.

Yamato and Bee were shocked.

"How did you find us?" Yamato demanded.

"Akatsuki is not the only one with spies." Dracula said.

"Akatsuki? So you're no longer a member?"

"I left as soon as I took what I wanted from Akatsuki." Dracula said. "Now, I shall take the Bijuu."

"Not gonna happen, fool ya fool." Bee said before he charged toward Dracula, Samehada in hand.

Dracula smirked behind his mask. "Shinra Tensei." He said just as Bee was before him.

Bee was shot backwards by the Rinnegan's repulsive force.

Yamato clapped his hands together and was about to use a Mokuton Jutsu, but he received a kick to the side of head that sent him flying.

Yamato got back on his feet and turned to his attacker, only for his eyes to widen.

"N-Naruto-kun... What are you doing?" Yamato asked.

"I have no need to explain myself to a worm." Naruto said.

"Indeed." Dracula said. "Leave him alive. I want his Mokuton."

"Of course, Lord Dracula." Naruto said, shocking Yamato with the name.

Naruto charged toward Yamato with Kyuubi-Sennin Modo's astounding speed and pummelled Yamato, who couldn't keep up with him.

"Do make this entertaining for me, Hachibi." Dracula said as Bee got back up. "If you bore me too much, I'll simply have to use my Absorbtion Jutsu to kill you."

"_Any ideas?"_ Bee thought.

"His abilities are unknown." Gyuki said. "And Naruto is on his side, for an equally unknown reason. We have to go all-out from the start."

Bee nodded before fully transforming into the Hachibi.

"Going so far already?" Dracula asked before he jumped in the air to avoid one of the Hachibi's tails.

Suddenly, the Hachibi was hit by the Bijuu form of Naruto's orange and purple shroud. It looked like Kurama and Kitsune, but it was mostly glowing orange with dark-purple linings. Not to mention it was more than five times Gyuki's size.

"**Switch!"** Naruto said as he used one of his tails to launch an unconscious Yamato in the air.

Dracula smirked as he held out a hand to Yamato. "Bansho Ten'nin!" He used the Rinnegan's attractive force to pull Yamato toward him before stabbing him in the heart, gaining his soul.

Bee inwardly cursed before he received a fist to the face.

Dracula landed on the floor and slammed his hand on the floor. "Kuchiyose: Gedo Mazo!"

* * *

**Meanwhile**

Tobi was silently fuming as he gazed at the Gedo Mazo. He had search Amegakure thoroughly and hadn't found Konan, who he was sure knew where Nagato's corpse, and the Rinnegan, were. Without those eyes, controlling the Gedo Mazo wasn't easy. Still, his 'alliance' with Kabuto made the war easier, thanks to his mastery of the Edo Tensei to use the Allied Shinobi Forces' dearly departed against them. The Zetsus were too weak to handle the Shinobi Alliance by themselves. However, there were a few problems. One, Kabuto tried, and failed, to bring back the dead Jinchuuriki, only succeeding with Yagura, Han and Fuu. The snake said the failure was because their souls weren't in the afterlife. That brought his second problem: Souma Kurusu. Not only did his Power of Dominance stand in the way of using the Jinchuuriki as his Paths of the Rinnegan, but he also disappeared after Sasuke was tricked by the Hachibi. He had suspicions that Souma was the one who found Konan first and gained the Rinnegan.

His eyes widened as his suspicions only became greater when the Gedo Mazo disappeared, as if it was summoned.

* * *

**Back in Turtle Island**

The empty vessel of the Juubi appeared in all of its grandeur. It was a large, earthen-colored, humanoid entity with most of its body looking decayed. Its back had a numerous spike-like prostrations. Its wrist and ankles were bound by shackles and the statue bit down on a scroll.

Dracula created two Chakra receivers and threw them with extra force, thanks to Shinra Tensei. With such small projectiles on such a big target, the rods hit their marks and pierced the Hachibi's skin.

When that happened, he willed the Gedo Mazo to restrain and capture the Hachibi. It spat out chains and caught the Hachibi before dragging it closer.

While this was happening, Dracula turned to Naruto, who returned to normal and bowed before the Lord of Darkness. Dracula placed his hand on Naruto's head and absorbed his soul, gaining all of the abilities that the Doppelganger gained in its three years of existence. Being a Doppelganger, his body disappeared as its soul was taken, leaving only its possessions behind. Dracula picked up Muramasa and hid it in his cloak. No way was he leaving such a blade behind.

Turning back to the beasts, Gyuki had been absorbed by the Gedo Mazo, but a severed tentacle remained in the room.

"That trick again?" Dracula thought aloud before placing a hand on Crissaegrim's hilt and focused wind chakra.

"Fuuton: Shukufuku no Kaze." He called out as he swung Crissaegrim once. A large gust of wind cut the tentacle to pieces, revealing the tired Killer Bee.

"Did you really think that trick would work twice?" Dracula asked as he approaching the ex-jinchuuriki.

Bee unsheathed his eight swords for his unorthodox Kenjutsu style. He tried to swing at Dracula, only for Crissaegrim to deflect the blade and harm Bee with its wind blades.

"Are we having a problem?" Dracula asked before Kitsune appeared and grabbed Bee.

He made a clone that went up Kitsune's arms and snapped Bee's neck before dispelling.

Dracula then jumped up to the Gedo Mazo's head and made some handsigns. "Rikudo Juubi Kyuin!"

The Gedo Mazo was then being absorbed in Dracula's body. The Power of Dominance did the rest of the work and Dracula gained the powers of the Juubi no Shinju.

He then sidestepped Samehada before electrocuting it with the Lightning doll Soul. Since Lightning doll used no chakra, Samehada couldn't do anything to survive.

"Now...let's observe this war." Dracula said as he exited the cave and used Senjutsu to feel around the battlefields.

Chaos...Destruction...Death... All of these things were palpable in the northern part of the Elemental Countries.

He frowned when he felt that someone was using Kyuubi's chakra. It seems that, like with Sora, whenever someone used Kyuubi's chakra, he, the holder of the real deal, felt the use of Kyuubi's chakra.

"Let's see... Taking Kumo's history in consideration, I could be sensing one of Gold and Silver brothers, Ginkaku and Kinkaku. They _did_ become pseudo-jinchuuriki after eating Kurama's insides."

He had no need of more of Kurama's chakra, however, and started sensing throughout the battlefields. Two caught his attention. One felt like the Rinnegan and another like the Sharingan. Nagato was brought back along with a familiar Sharingan user.

"Getting another Sharingan would be beneficial." Dracula said. "Shisui's and Madara's had different abilities, so this one might as well. I am unsure if the Ningendou will work on a Rinnegan user, however." He said before he followed the chakra signatures.

He soon landed before two Reanimated summons.

"Itachi Uchiha, Nagato." Dracula said.

"Souma Kurusu." Itachi said.

"What are you doing here?" Nagato, who was leaning on Itachi's shoulder due to his weak body despite the Edo Tensei, asked.

"I simply seek to acquire a Sharingan." Dracula said.

"And not the Rinnegan?" Nagato asked, confused.

"I already transplanted them in my sockets after your death. I actually made an interesting discovery. The Power of Dominance tells me whose soul I dominate. And when I dominated the Rinnegan after the transplantation, I found out that those eyes belonged to _Madara Uchiha._ It seems your Rinnegan was transplanted all along."

Nagato, Itachi and Kabuto's eyes widened.

Dracula then looked at Itachi with Shisui's Sharingan. "Do not struggle."

Itachi stiffened and Kabuto's eyes widened once more when he couldn't feel his connection to Itachi.

"Itachi?" Nagato asked before being kicked away by Dracula, who immediately started taking Itachi's soul with the Ningendou.

He then saw a coffin appear around Nagato's body before they disappeared. "So, Kabuto wants to at least save one pawn, huh? Fair enough, I already got what I wanted most from Nagato anyway."

Itachi's body crumbled into ash and dirt as Dracula completely absorbed his soul.

"All right, next." With Senjutsu, he searched for chakra signatures once more. The Allied Shinobi Forces were grouped together for the night and waiting for sunrise. Most of the signatures on Akatsuki's side disappeared.

"Ah... So I'll have to wait until morning for anything interesting..." Dracula said.

* * *

And the war did indeed continue the next morning, though Akatsuki's Edo army was applying guerilla tactics against the Alliance. And it was working, since the Alliance started splitting its troops to chase each Edo summons.

Gaara's regiment seemed to be getting devastated.

The other units were on their toes, as if wary of one another.

Then, he felt four familiar chakra signatures: The Sound Four.

Should he go after them? No... Aside from their cursed marks, which he had one thanks to Kimimaro, nothing about them caught his interest, despite them feeling more powerful than before.

A few moments later, and the Sound Four were defeated by Neji, Choji, Shikamaru, Kiba and Akamaru.

"Well, that was fast." Dracula commented. "Just goes to show how much they progressed in three years."

Suddenly, each of the Sound Four flared chakra before their opponents' chakra signatures stopped along with their own.

"Now, where are they?" Dracula wondered. The chakra signatures were stopped, not gone. And the Sound Four and their opponents had moved elsewhere, but he couldn't find where...yet. "The Sound Four did something to their last opponents, who were the last ones they faced when they were alive. There is bound to be malice involved." He tried to find said malice. And find it he did. The Sound Four were filled with vengeance, which seemed to give them power. With Sennin Modo and Mueisho combined, Dracula rushed toward the source of those vengeful feelings.

When he found the source, he saw a large barrier that looked like an eye.

"Found you..." Dracula smirked before he grew multiple Reibi arms and struck the barrier with many Rasen-shuriken, breaking through the barrier, getting the attention of everyone inside.

"What the fuck!?" Tayuya said.

Dracula appeared next to the Konoha group and grabbed Neji before using Ningendou on him. It was faster than usual, since he was only a soul.

"Neji!" Shikamaru cried as Neji disappeared within Dracula.

"One more soul in my arsenal." Dracula chuckled before turning to the Konoha group. Suddenly, they glowed yellow and disappeared.

"Dammit, you shithead!" Tayuya growled. "They were our marks!"

Dracula turned to the Sound Four, who were all glowing dark-purple. "Oh well, I suppose I'll have to make due with you guys."

"Get real!" Kidomaru said. "Our vengeance has made us more powerful than ever before! There's no way a no-name like you could do anything to us!" They all charged toward Dracula, who threw a Rasen-shuriken to take them down. With that, their souls were dominated by Dracula.

"How pathetic..." He said before he smirked. "Who will be my next target?" He wondered as he got out of the barrier.

In almost every battlefield, the Alliance was at a major disadvantage. Units were unmoving, as if moving an inch would get them killed. Gaara's unit was getting destroyed by what felt like the Raikage. Mifune's unit was the only one that wasn't as disadvantaged as the others.

He suddenly felt a familiar chakra...the very same signature as his Eternal Mangekyo.

Dracula smirked. "So, Madara Uchiha himself is being reanimated? Near Gaara's unit, no less. The Raikage's signature also disappeared... Kabuto, you are leaving Gaara's unit to Madara? I must admit, I am tempted to go and see for myself." He made a clone, which turned into bats and flew toward Madara's chakra. He kept using his sensory ability to feel around the war zones.

* * *

After a while...

"_Hey, boss..."_ His Kage Bunshin contacted him with the Yamanaka's telepathic abilities. _"Madara pretty much destroyed the entire division, with only Gaara, Onoki and a few others still alive."_

"_Deal with Madara."_ Dracula ordered. _"I will take the survivors' souls with the Mugen Tsukuyomi."_

"_Understood."_ The connection faded.

Eventually, he felt the chakra of Sasuke's Susano'o. It was even stronger than before. But what got his attention was the chakra signature even further away. It was Kabuto's chakra, mixed with many others.

"Spliced even more DNA, have you?" Dracula wondered. "Have you found your new, stronger self?"

As he headed toward Kabuto, he saw Sasuke heading the other way, with Karin following him. He ignored them and continued onward. He eventually entered a cave and broke a barrier with Susano'o.

"I'm impressed you managed to pass through my barrier and find this place." Kabuto said, not turning to face Dracula. He wore a large cloak with a hood over his head. There was also a white snake peeking out from his cloak. On the ground, behind him, was Anko Mitarashi.

"Your chakra is mixed with other signatures." Dracula said. "I was curious."

"Ah, but of course." Kabuto said as he stood up and faced Dracula. "After all, you are mix of chakra as well, through your kills."

His face was pale, almost to Orochimaru's extent, with a scaly complexion and he had Orochimaru's purple eye-shadow around his reptilian eyes.

"You've certainly changed since I last saw you." Dracula commented.

Kabuto pushed his glasses to the bridge of his nose. "You have me at a disadvantage. We have never met before."

"Wrong." Dracula said before removing his mask and hood. Dracula looked like a man in his mid-twenties with spiky blond hair and bangs that framed his face. Due to transplanting Madara's eyes in his sockets, his eyes were coal black. He still had his whisker marks, making his identity obvious.

Kabuto's eyes widened before he smirked and laughed. "_You_! You were Souma Kurusu this entire time!?"

"It was a plan I came up with since I aimed for the Bijuu." Dracula said.

Kabuto cupped his chin. "I see... I had brought Zabuza back, but his partner was out of my reach..."

"Haku was the first soul I took." Dracula confirmed. "Since you reanimated members of Akatsuki, you should be missing Kakuzu as well."

"I wondered about that last one." Kabuto admitted. "Zabuza said Haku was fighting you and Sasuke, so I always wondered why I couldn't bring him and Kakuzu back. And now, the answer is right in front of me." He chuckled. "Looks like I was quite spot on when I said you would surpass all of your generation as well the previous and future ones. Allow me to ask you one question, since I answered yours." Kabuto gained a gleeful look in his eyes. "What of the Hachibi? You have the Kyuubi and can summon the Gedo Mazo, through the Rinnegan. That's eight Bijuu at your disposal."

Dracula smirked. "Nine."

"Ah... So you _did_ take the Hachibi from Killer Bee." Kabuto chuckled. "And I suppose they are all within you, at your beck and call through this 'Power of Dominance' of yours."

"Of course."

"You have beaten Madara and Tobi at their own game..." Kabuto said before laughing. "To think you were hiding something like this all this time... What spurred this on, I wonder?"

"It's very simple: reincarnation."

"Oh? So all this time, an older mind was within the younger body, waiting for the chance to rise..."

"And rise I shall." Dracula said. "Soon, the world will fear the return of Dracula, Lord of Darkness!"

Kabuto's smirk widened. "That name... You were the one who took the Kurama girl from Konoha. The Kurama clan Kekkei Genkai and the Sharingan... You are much closer to the Rikudo Sennin than I thought I was."

"Should I not be?" Dracula asked. "This body is Uzumaki, distant cousins of the Senju, who are the descendant of the Rikudo Sennin's younger son. Through my plan, I became the Juubi Jinchuuriki, like the Rikudo Sennin himself."

"And you have the Sharingan and the Rinnegan." Kabuto added. "The body of the younger son with the eyes of both the older son and the Rikudo Sennin himself... I will extensively study you once this war is over." He licked his lips with an overly long tongue, like Orochimaru used to do, before multiple snakes surrounded him. "Only when I defeat you, who have never doubted your identity, can I truly create my sense of self!"

"Then enough talk, have at you!" Dracula said as he braced himself.

Kabuto hid his face with his hood before he made a handsign. His snakes suddenly grew in size. "Nature is on my side."

"Nature? So you can use Senjutsu?" Dracula asked.

"Exactly!" Kabuto cackled as the snakes charged toward Dracula.

The Lord of Darkness used Shukufuku no Kaze to cut the snakes to pieces. Once the gust reached Kabuto, the cloak was torn to shreds, revealing only snakes within it.

Dracula's eyes narrowed before veins pulsed around his eyes. There were traces of chakra all over the caves.

"Oh? Now you're using the Byakugan." Kabuto's voice echoed through the cave.

He then saw the remains of the previous snakes turn into water.

"It's the ability to turn one's flesh into water." Kabuto said. "To detach and separate using one's own life substance. It looks like sheeding one's skin, don't you think? I've researched and applied Hozuki clan's Suika no Jutsu to make this Jutsu. Plus I have your own clan's amazing ability to recuperate quickly."

"From Karin, correct?" Dracula said as he stood still, absorbing nature energy within himself.

"You are indeed correct."

"What next? You have Tenbin no Jugo's ability to constantly absorb nature energy?"

"Of course." Kabuto said as snakes gathered before Dracula. "Once I learned Senjutsu through the White Snake Sage, his ability became invaluable. I was at long last able surpass Orochimaru-sama." A single snake started puking, with Kabuto coming out of the snake.

"Sennin Modo!" Dracula and Kabuto said at the time. Once Kabuto was out of the snake, Dracula saw his Sage form. Kabuto was just as scaly as before, so perhaps the only real differences were the four horns on the sides of his head and that there was a snake directly connected to him by the navel. Then again, the connection was probably there even before Sennin Modo.

Kabuto made some handsigns and closed the cornea of his eyes. "Senpo: Hakugeki no Jutsu!" He spat out a red dragon that carried an orb. The dragon coiled itself around the orb, causing a blinding light and deafening sounds.

Dracula deactivated his Byakugan, closed his eyes and covered his ears.

"_Time Stop!"_ He thought, using Chronomage's soul.

The sounds were gone and the light was dim. He saw that Kabuto was right in front of him, his mouth was opened wider than possible for human standards, as if he was about to gobble him whole.

He only had a few seconds of stopped time, so he used an idea off the top of his head.

When time started back up, he immediately shot lightning toward Kabuto, electrocuting him quite easily due to the body fluids he used to protect himself from the sounds.

Kabuto backed up and ended the Jutsu.

"Impressive." Kabuto said as he put his jaw back in place. "I didn't think you'd be able to concentrate enough to sense my chakra."

"I am a being older than the Shinobi World itself." Dracula said. "My powers go beyond chakra."

Kabuto's gaze turned gleeful. "You are simply fascinating. But even with all those powers, you cannot kill me."

"_Actually, I kinda can..."_ Dracula thought to himself. He could easily use Chronomage to stop time before taking Kabuto's soul with the Rinnegan's Ningendo. Since time would be stopped, Kabuto wouldn't even be able to struggle for survival. But where would be the fun in that?

"I can instantly recover from any injury you inflict. I even shut down my eyesight to protect myself from your Sharingan."

"That _is_ quite the resume." Dracula admitted. "But we are in similar boats. I'm know for a fact that Orochimaru knew of the Konoha Nuke-nin, Hiruko."

"Of course." Kabuto pushed his glasses to the bridge of his nose. "Hiruko was an old friend of the Sannin. You have the Kekkei Genkai he stole, if I remember correctly. That's what gave you your reputation in the first place."

"Indeed." Dracula said as he used Mueisho to appear behind the snake and punched him with a steel fist, sending him flying.

"Nice try, but not good enough." Kabuto said as he got back on his feet, made a handsign before slamming his hands on the ground. "Senpo: Muki Tensei!"

The very cave itself started moving, with stalactites aiming toward Dracula, who turned into bats to avoid them.

"This Jutsu brings the lifeless to life and allows me to control them." Kabuto said. "It's different from a Jutsu that simply manipulates with chakra. Turning into bats to travel within the cave was a logical solution."

Mid-flight, the bats turned back into Dracula, who looked at Kabuto with his Eternal Mangekyo. "Amaterasu!"

Kabuto was far enough to only need to jump away to dodge the flames, which landed on the ground. The cave started shifting.

"What a gamble." Kabuto commented. "You tried to attack me quickly to cancel the Jutsu, but it seems that the Ultimate Visual Offense is so hot that the cave returned to normal."

"I was always quite lucky as Naruto Uzumaki." Dracula said.

"Even with your luck, this is my win." Kabuto said. "I am near the point where I can achieve and control everything... All the laws and principles of nature, which Orochimaru-sama researched and compiled for so long, are now stored and being used within me. I have evolved from human to snake to dragon. Once I defeat you and study everything within you, I will be the closest thing to the Rikudo Sennin!"

"But can your body handle the splicing you're putting it through?" Dracula asked. "The Power of Dominance allows me to handle such changes, but that wasn't the case for someone who managed to somewhat copy it."

Kabuto's eyes narrowed. "What happened?"

"All of the souls he collected merged into a mindless abomination and destroyed his body." Dracula answered, causing Kabuto's eyes to widen. "It is very possible that such a thing will happen to you if you get overzealous with gaining new abilities."

"No..." Kabuto denied as he made a handsign. "I have precautions!" A figure rose from the connection between him and his snake, which was on his stomach. The figure was Sakon. _"Sakon! Soma no Ko!"_ He commanded mentally. Sakon squirmed and turned into Kidomaru. _"Kidomaru! Kumosokai!"_ Kidomaru made a large spider web that aimed to trap Dracula, who countered with Crissaegrim's gust of wind.

Kidomaru turned into Kimimaro. _"Kimimaro! Sawarabi no Mai!"_ Kimimaro slammed his hands on the grounds. Bone spikes dug out of the ground, going ever closer to Dracula, who steeled his body with Koton to walk over the spikes.

Kimimaro made a flute out of his bones and turned into Tayuya.

"_I feel like I'm looking at a lamia."_ Dracula thought as he sweatdropped from looking at Tayuya. Her long hair was the only thing giving her some decency.

"_Tayuya! __Mateki: Mugen Onsa!"_ Tayuya played a tune with her flute.

Dracula cursed as he recognized the tune from Tayuya's memories and was immobilized. She created no countermeasures for this Genjutsu and he had no way to escape it the way Shikamaru did twice.

"Now, you're immobilized." Kabuto said as Tayuya stopped playing and turned into Orochimaru himself before turning into an Orochimaru-like white snake. "Now I'll take you within me using Orochimaru-sama!"

Dracula's eyes narrowed. This was a little earlier than planned, but he had to escape the Genjutsu.

Kabuto covered his eyes as a pillar of chakra emerged from Dracula.

* * *

**With the Kage Bunshin**

He had seen Madara's battle almost from the beginning. The legendary Uchiha went against the Alliance up close and personal for a time, never getting so much as a scratch, before dropping meteorites on their heads, with only a handful of shinobi surviving the land-destroying attack.

He himself had to use the Kyoma Demon soul to remain unharmed from that.

The Bunshin decided to contact the original. Upon receiving the order, it snuck closer to Madara.

"Let's see..." Madara made some handsigns before he slammed his hand on the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Nothing happened, so Souma guessed that Madara tried to summon Kurama.

"So, Kyuubi hasn't been captured yet." Madara told himself. "Oh well, I will simply try out this Jutsu on the survivors before searching for it myself."

However, before he could even bring his hands together, he was stabbed in the back. Looking over his shoulder in surprise, he saw Souma, who stabbed a second Chakra Receiver on Madara's back.

"You..." Madara growled as he stepped away from Souma. "Who...are you?"

"Souma Kurusu." Souma introduced himself. "Robber of Kekkei Genkai and Juubi no Jinchuuriki."

Madara's eyes narrowed as he tried to summon Susano'o, but the Chakra Receivers were already making it hard to do anything. He even had a hard time reach his back to try and pull out the receivers.

"Oh no, you don't." Souma said, creating another receiver and going for a stab.

Madara managed to sidestep the attack, but the receiver grazed his side. Souma twirled the receiver into a reverse grip and planted it on Madara's torso.

"It's a shame, really." Souma said. "Normally, I would have gladly fought you, but the collateral damage would most likely reach and kill the others."

As Madara was hindered even more, Souma stabbed him with even more receivers.

Once Madara was completely paralyzed, Souma used the Ningendou to absorb Madara's soul. Apparently, Ningendou works on Rinnegan users, so long as they can't struggle, at least.

Suddenly, a large pillar of chakra rose to the skies for a moment before it disappeared.

Souma and the Kage wondered what that was. Souma then realized something.

"The Edo Tensei summons are disappearing." He told himself.

"Who could have possibly found Kabuto and stopped the Edo Tensei?" He heard Tsunade's voice. Turning to its direction, he found that she, along the Raikage and Mizukage, joined up with Gaara, Onoki and the others.

"Whoever did it is a hero who saved the Shinobi World! The heavens haven't forsaken us yet!" Onoki said, not knowing how wrong he was.

"I don't know about that." Souma chuckled.

"Souma Kurusu!" Tsunade called out as the Five Kage braced themselves.

"Trust me, you don't want to try me, since I have the power of the Juubi." Souma smirked.

"WHAT!?" The Raikage roared.

"Where are Naruto and Killer Bee!?" Tsunade demanded.

"Gone, of course." Souma waved off. "What else happens when a Jinchuuriki is without his Bijuu?" Of course, he wasn't going to mention that Killer Bee almost survive because of the Bijuu chakra inside the tentacle.

"You will pay for that!" The Mizukage claimed.

"Yeah, I doubt it." Souma pointed at the direction the pillar had appeared. "Boss will probably use Mugen Tsukuyomi soon. Better off that way, really, since you stand no chance against the Juubi Jinchuuriki." He then dispelled.

* * *

Kabuto uncovered his eyes and was shocked. Dracula had a new appearance. He had white hair and pale skin, which made his whiskers stand out, with a shroud of chakra shaped like a full outfit of black pants, shirt, gloves and boots, along with a flowing white haori. Like with Kyuubi Modo, six Magatama were on the collar of his shirt. There was also the pattern of a black Rinnegan on the back of his haori with three black magatama on each ripple. In his left hand was black Shakujo with each tip shaped like the sun and moon and nine black spheres floating behind him. He also had two horns on his forehead with an eye, opened by a vertical slit, between them. A red Rinnegan with three tomoe on each ripple. This was the Juubi's eye, Rinne Sharingan.

"Sorry for the sudden firework show, but you didn't give me any choice." Dracula said.

Kabuto clenched his hand. _"Why_?_"_ Everything he did, Dracula had a counter. "Are you just playing around with me!?"

"'Playing around?'" Dracula repeated. "I suppose I am. There's no fun in ending a battle immediately."

Kabuto fell to his knees. "Then finish it."

Dracula raised an eyebrow the sudden change.

"If even the one who understands me most thinks fighting me is a game, then who will acknowledge the new me!?"

"Taking other people's DNA will not make the common people acknowledge you, for they will see you as a monster." Dracula said as he approached Kabuto. "But as the Lord of Darkness, I understand and acknowledge monsters."

Kabuto looked up to Dracula.

"People stay away from Jinchuuriki, for fear that they will lose control over the Bijuu." Dracula said. "People fear Orochimaru for the many experiments he did. And people will fear you for what you have done to yourself. Do you want to be alongside those who will fear you? Or..." He held his free hand out to Kabuto. "...will you join those who will not judge you for your inhuman stature?"

Kabuto looked at the hand for a moment before he looked back up to Dracula. He grabbed the hand and Dracula pulled him up. Kabuto made some handsigns, making Dracula raise an eyebrow.

"Edo Tensei: Kai!" Kabuto called out.

After a moment, Dracula gained the memories of his clone as he looked at Kabuto. "Why cancel it?"

"I thought it would be fair to let everyone's souls, especially the Five Kage's, be yours for the taking, instead of having my pawns kill them."

"I see. I will soon activate the Mugen Tsukuyomi." Dracula made a Kage Bunshin. "My Bunshin will show you just _what_ you have joined. Trust me when I say, you will be surprised."

"To see the HQ of the being older than the Shinobi World itself..." Kabuto said gleefully.

"All we need is a little darkness." Bunshin said as he took Kabuto to a spot that had a lot of darkness and took him to Castlevania. Of course, the Bunshin will dispel once some Persephone maids would guide Kabuto through the castle. Just because he was the Juubi Jinchuuriki, didn't mean he would be _too_ lenient.

Dracula used Mokuton to make a small throne sat on it, resting his face on his hands to surprise everyone. Before activating Mugen Tsukuyomi, he would do one last thing...

And so he waited for the Shinobi Alliance to arrive.

* * *

Eventually, the Shinobi Alliance forces landed before him. Most of them were intimidated by the Rinne Sharingan.

"About time." Dracula said, not moving from his position.

Obito appeared from his vortex.

Dracula smirked. "How good of you to join us, Obito."

Kakashi's eyes widened, along with those of his generation, before he turned to the masked man. "Obito."

Obito took off his mask, revealing his scarred face. "How did you find out?"

Dracula chuckled. "Simple, I took Madara's soul."

Obito's eyes widened.

"Well, no use wasting time now." Dracula stood up, revealing his face, to everyone's shock.

"I-It can't be..." Sakura muttered.

"Naruto Uzumaki?" Gaara asked.

"Good evening, everyone!" Dracula greeted with a smirk.

"What happened to you?" Onoki asked, not understanding the sudden change between the former acting-hokage and the Nuke-nin.

Dracula shrugged before pacing side to side."Should I really explain? This goes back several thousand years."

"You really expect us to believe you are that old?" The Raikage growled.

"I never said I was alive for that long." Dracula countered. "If we're talking the time I've lived, I should be somewhere between five and six centuries old."

Sakura and Hinata shook their heads as tears streamed down their faces. Neither could believe he turned traitor.

"Naruto..." Dracula turned to Kakashi. "...Are you Dracula?" He asked with dread.

Dracula chuckled. "Yes, Kakashi. I _am_ the one who ordered Yakumo's kidnapping."

"Gatsuuga!" He looked up and saw Kiba and Akamaru charging toward him like drills.

"Foolish." Dracula said as four of the nine Gudodama extended and created a barrier between him and the duo.

Everyone's eyes widened as the two drills seemed to disappear inside the barrier and two orbs, Kiba and Akamaru's souls, entered Dracula. What they didn't know was they were actually reduced to ashes.

The Gudodama returned to their original shapes.

"Now then..." Dracula pointed his Shakujo at Rock Lee. "Prepare yourself."

Lee looked confused as he took his stance. "Me?"

"Of course, you." Dracula said as he let go of his Shakujo, letting float in mid-air. "I waited here to fight you. More than anyone, I want to fight you, because you are the one I respect most, in this day and age."

Out of every human being, Lee was very high on his list. Only Leon Belmont was higher, but that's what years of camaraderie and friendship did.

"Naru-" Lee shook his head and looked serious. "You are not the Naruto I know and respect. I will not allow you to hurt anyone else."

"Do not hold back, Rock Lee!" Dracula demanded as he charged forward.

**This chapter was the planned chapter 17, along with a good chunk of 18, since 17 by itself was only a little over 4k words. I stopped there because the fight with Lee isn't finished yet. The next chapter will be the finale, I ask everyone to patiently wait until it is finished. Thank you.**


	18. Chapter 18: Otsutsuki

**I've done it! I've finally finished the story! And I'm proud of this final chapter!**

**Madmanmark666: Thank you for your praises.**

**Leonardobluesummers: Looking back, I definitely could have discarded some of the filler arcs. I tried to make sure Dracula gained something out of each of them, but I wasn't completely successful.**

**And no worries, I don't mind answering questions like those if i can.**

**It's one of those off-screen things, but it would make sense that Shinigami told Dracula about the Otsutsuki clan, right? So, originally, Dracula would look for a way to space-travel. But after dealing with both Kaguya and Toneri in this chapter, he'll have grown bored of the Otsutsuki clan and use Kaguya's dimensional powers to travel to other dimensions.**

**Also, about Kaguya, I used to think the same thing, but eventually thought that, even though the Gedo Mazo was summoned, her soul was still sealed in the moon. I thought that, in canon, her soul had rejoined the shinju once its eye gazed upon the moon.**

**Rangle: Thank you for your multiple reviews and for putting up with the story, despite how bland it was at first.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 18: Otsutsuki**

A shockwave echoed throughout the battlefield before Dracula and Lee landed on the ground, face to face. Lee's skin had reddened from opening the Gate of Life whereas Dracula's face remained gleeful. Both of them charged forth and theirs fists met midway. Dracula then took a step forward and tried to backhand Lee, but the Chunin ducked and went for a sweep kick. Dracula jumped over Lee before landing and blocking Lee's high kick with his left forearm.

"W-What should we do, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura's voice trembled at the sight before her.

Kakashi remained silent as the Dracula and Lee clashed all over the battlefield at high-speed.

After a moment, his eyes went down to the throne. Or rather, the tree behind the throne. It was a recent addition, made by the Obito's mistake.

**Flashback**

_Lee kicked Dracula in the chin in a very familiar manner. As Dracula recoiled in the air, Lee jumped to get behind Dracula and readied his bandages._

_However, Dracula spun himself and kicked Lee away, shocking all those who knew about Kage Buyo and Omote Renge._

_Dracula looked over his shoulder when he felt a presence above him. It was Obito._

"_I will figure out how to unseal the Juubi later." Obito claimed before activating Kamui. The vortex of his right eye was trying to suck Dracula in._

"_You intend to trap me?" Dracula asked rhetorically. "Worthless."_

_He disappeared using the Hiraishin, to the shock of those who did not know he could use it, reappeared above Obito and stabbed a hand right in the right half of Obito's body._

"_Surprised? Remember__ your fight with my father? He marked you for the Hiraishin when he struck you with the Rasengan." Dracula explained, keeping his grip on Obito's insides as they landed behind the throne. "This is strike one."_

_Obito grunted in pain as wood started sprouting from the right half of his body. "H-How?"_

"_A mix of Hashirama's cells in your body, Yamato's Mokuton and Orochimaru studies of Hashirama's cells." Dracula answered. "It's over for you."_

_The wood kept growing until it entangled Obito and became a tree. Dracula placed his free hand on the tree. The tree shifted until Dracula's other hand was freed before he placed it on the tree as well. With a pulse of chakra, the tree tightened onto itself until the sound of crushed flesh was heard. Obito's soul shot out of the tree and into Dracula._

_Dracula turned back to Lee, who had been resting on the ground since the interruption. "Ready to continue?"_

"_Why are you just waiting?" Lee asked back._

"_Because I want to fight you at your best!" Dracula's face turned gleeful. "There is no point or enjoyment in finishing you off now. This fight won't continue until you've opened the Gate of Rest and recovered."_

**Flashback end**

In the end, it was Obito's fault for thinking he could pull a fast one in the middle of a fight.

Kakashi snapped out of his thoughts when another shockwave echoed. Turning his attention back to the battle, he saw Lee flaring even more chakra.

"Gate of Pain, Open!" Lee called out before he disappeared.

Lee appeared before Dracula and kicked him on the chin once more, sending him skyward.

"I will not allow another counterattack!" Lee claimed before he jumped in the air and kicked Dracula again. Just like with Gaara, Lee juggled Dracula in the air with multiple kicks until he kicked him downward.

Lee flared chakra once more. "Gate of Limit, Open!" He fell towards Dracula.

Just before Dracula crashed, Lee kicked him straight into the ground, creating a massive crater and a lot of smoke.

"Ura Renge!" He called out before jumping out of the smoke.

When the smoke dissipated, they saw Dracula sit up from his crash.

"Marvellous..." Dracula chuckled. "You never fail to disappoint."

Suddenly, the Raikage charged, crackling with his Raiton no Yoroi.

Dracula frowned. "Strike two." He said when the Raikage's fist was inches away from his face.

A red fist struck the Raikage with an uppercut, making him stagger.

"No more interruptions." Dracula ordered.

A red armoured figure with a horn on its helmet appeared, to everyone's shock, and charged at the Raikage.

"Ora!" The figure screamed as it punched the Raikage in the face. "Ora!" It kicked him in the shin. "Ora Ora Ora Ora Ora Ora!" It then sent a barrage of punches.

Dracula charged forth and sent a Balore punch at the same time as Guardian Cagnazzo's final punch, sending the Raikage back to the rest of the Alliance.

Dracula turned back to Lee. "Open the sixth gate."

Lee's eyes widened. "What?"

"I'm tired of these idiots always interrupting our fight. Go all-out, make this enjoyable again."

"How do you know about my ability to open the sixth gate?" Lee asked.

"I know through Guy." Dracula answered.

"Guy-sensei?"

"...He's gone, Lee." Dracula said.

Realization slowly appeared on Lee's face. After a moment, tears appeared in his eyes.

"Gate of View, Open!" The green aura around him was greater than ever.

"...You are not above killing precious people, are you?" Lee asked, anger in his voice.

Dracula wasn't going to deny it. A lot of people died by his hand, both directly and indirectly.

"I have lost both Guy-sensei and Neji..." Lee muttered. "I will not let you make anyone else suffer!"

"Spoken like a true hunter." Dracula said.

"Gate of Wonder, Open!" Another shockwave echoed. Lee's eyes glowed red and his green aura became blue.

"The blue vapor..." Dracula muttered in shock before he became gleeful again. "Rock Lee... Has the pain of loss enabled you to open the seventh Gate?"

"This is my determination!" Lee claimed. "I shall go beyond every one of my limits to stop you!"

"By all means!" Dracula exclaimed.

Lee disappeared in flash. Dracula caught the fist aiming for his face before blocking a kick with his free arm. He then blocked another kick with his knee before pushing Lee away.

"Now!" Lee said before charging forth, one of his palms facing his face and tapping it with his other hand.

Dracula's eyes widened in realization.

Lee stopped before Dracula, his hands in a tiger head-like handsign.

"Hirudora!" Lee called out before a massive shockwave appeared between the two of them.

Most of the Alliance was blown away by the biggest shockwave yet.

Once the smoke dissipated, Dracula was several feet away from Lee, with both hands held out.

Steam appeared on the burns on Dracula's arms as they healed.

"So powerful..." Dracula muttered. "Guy knew you'd surpass him, but seeing it for myself is simply thrilling."

"He actually took the blow point blank..." Kakashi muttered, shocked.

Gaara was watching the battle in silent shock. He recognized the moves Lee used back during the Chunin exams.

"You should be at the end of your rope, at this point." Dracula said. "It _is_ the first time you've opened the seventh gate, after all."

"It won't end this way!" Lee said, unzipping his flak jacket.

Dracula's eyes widened. "Are you really going that far?"

Lee pressed his thumb on the heart region of his torso, puncturing it with his nail.

"Lee, no!" Tenten cried out in horror.

"_Guy wouldn't have wanted it this way..."_ Kakashi thought sadly.

"To sacrifice yourself like this..." Dracula muttered before summoning his Gudodama to his side. "Come, Rock Lee."

"Gate of Death, Open!" The blue vapor turned red with his blood. Even his hair and his eyebrows turned red and flickered like flames. There were marks on his skin that looked like magma.

Sakura's eyes widened as the preliminaries came to mind. The Gate of Death...

Once again, Lee disappeared in a flash.

Dracula looked around, being able to follow Lee's movements, thanks to the Rinne Sharingan.

"Speeding through the sky by kicking the air..." Dracula muttered before floating up in the air.

"Sekizo! First step!" Dracula turned around just as Lee punched the air between them. A wave of air rushed toward Dracula, who blocked it with his Shakujo and his free hand. To the others, the wave of air looked like an elephant's foot.

"So that's Sekizo..." Dracula said as he struggled. "The real thing is far more powerful than the knowledge of it..." The Sekizo was finally pushing him back.

"Second ste-" Just as Lee was about to punch air again, he winced and stopped.

Dracula's eyes narrowed and he used the Hiraishin to appear next to Tsunade, who had been marked for the Hiraishin squad.

Everyone immediately braced themselves at the sudden appearance. But Dracula ignored them and flew back to the battlefield.

"_What unbelievable pain..."_ Lee thought as he watched Dracula approach. _"But for everyone, I will bear it and win."_

"_Sekizo normally has either four or five strikes..."_ Dracula thought before he used a Gudodama to create a second Shakujo. _"This should be enough protection."_

Lee sped through the skies and 'ran' large circles around Dracula.

"First step!" Lee made his first punch.

One of Dracula's Shakujo became a barrier big enough to shield his body. The Gudodama destroyed the very air that touched it.

"Second step!" Dracula turned his other Shakujo into another barrier on the opposite direction.

"Third step!" Four Gudodama became parts of another barrier that protected his front.

"Fourth step!" The last four became the barrier that protected him from below.

Dracula's eyes widened before he turned around. Rock Lee was charging forth.

"Fifth step!" Lee called out as he went for a direct punch this time.

Dracula caught the fist, but his wrist broke on impact. Keeping his momentum, Lee managed to punch Dracula straight in the chest, making the Lord of Darkness cough blood before the punch sent him crashing down through the Gudodama and into the ground.

Lee landed on the ground, but winced and fell down.

"Lee!" Tenten called out.

Looking down at his leg, he saw that his shin had scraped the Gudodama.

Hearing a cough, he turned to the smoke. Dracula walked out of the smoke, his Gudodama by his side, with one close to his torso. The Gudodama was healing it while his wrist had already healed.

"_He took a direct punch of Sekizo!?" _Lee thought in shock.

Dracula spat out a drop of blood. "I guess that's the end of the line. Look at your right hand."

Lee did so and his eyes widened. His hand was scorched black!

"Your body is burning from the inside out. Your hand has been especially pushed."

Lee got up on his one good leg and got into his stance. As he did, he saw his hand bubble up and crumble to ash.

"The rest of your body will soon follow suit." Dracula said. "I enjoyed this fight. You have exceeded all of my expectations."

"We can still...win..." Lee insisted through his pain.

Dracula shook his head. "I can match and survive your level of Taijutsu, which is one of the greatest of the Alliance, and I can absorb any Ninjutsu along with seeing through any Genjutsu."

"That won't stop us!" Tsunade claimed.

"I am not facing anyone else." Dracula said. "It's over, goodbye."

He started flying up, but a wave of sand got in his way.

Dracula looked down at Gaara.

"Why are you doing this?" The Kazekage asked. "The Naruto Uzumaki who defeated me would never do such a thing."

"How can you be so sure of that?" Dracula asked. "All you have seen is my facade. I have existed long before the birth of Naruto Uzumaki. And I have lived in this body almost immediately after Naruto Uzumaki's birth. _This_ is what I meant back then, Gaara. No human in this day and age knew of the real me, that's why their opinions were all insignificant."

"So you claim to have walked in the shadows all this time." Gaara said. "I have done so as well, but you have brought light to my eyes, even if it wasn't your intention!"

"Your darkness and mine are far different." Dracula said as he landed on the ground. "Your Jinchuuriki status made you a pariah. Everyone was either against you or too afraid to stand by your side. I am different. I was once a knight, a loyal soldier, and a married man. But my dear wife died while I was away."

The Alliance started listening intently.

"When she died due to illness, I gave up everything. I delved in my point of expertise to gain immortality. And I found it."

Most of them were shocked. He found immortality?

"A single crimson stone." Dracula said. "I created the Crimson Stone, which granted me the loyalty of the Shinigami himself!"

Blood ran cold as his words sunk in. Those who knew how the Kyuubi was sealed realized how Dracula returned to this world.

"There was one thing that the Stone needed, the soul of a vampire. Once I sealed that soul within the Stone, I gained his powers and became an immortal vampire! But even then, darkness had not completely consumed my heart."

"If even after all this, the darkness hadn't consumed you, then you can turn away from this path right now." Gaara insisted.

"You do not know the final nail in the vampire's coffin." Dracula said. "After a few centuries, I found another woman. She was so much like my wife that my heart became hers. We even had a child together."

Some of the girls wanted to swoon at the thought of a happy family, but the tension of the moment hardly made it the right time.

"And then she was also taken from me. She was executed in broad daylight, when I couldn't reach her, by the very people she helped with her medicinal talents! Our son was there in her final moments! When I learned of her death, I plunged deeper into darkness and became the enemy of mankind. This world will always take away from me. Therefore, I shall take everything away from it and leave it to rot."

Gaara closed his eyes, a single tear rolling down his cheek. "Then I shall stop you, in the name of the _true_ Naruto Uzumaki!"

"Humans' perception of the truth is quite twisted, then." Dracula commented. "Regardless, if you stand in my way here and now, then suffer the Juubi's Tenpenchii."

Dracula gathered chakra across his entire body before letting out a battle cry. The landscapes were scraped into layers of craters, sending the Alliance flying back. Water was rising from beneath the continent, thunderstorms and tornadoes all over the battlefield. It was a cataclysm.

Dracula looked up to the moon. Most of the Alliance had been killed by Tenpenchii, if the great amount of souls he just gained was of any indication. Some shinobi, mostly the tougher and stronger ones, survived.

He flew up to the sky and peered to the moon with his Rinne Sharingan. "Mugen Tsukuyomi."

The Rinne Sharingan appeared on the blood red moon before the moon light up like the sun.

When the Alliance saw the moon, their eyes turned into the Rinnegan and they were lost in their dream world.

Dracula landed back on the ground, sat on the throne and grasped the armrest. "Shin: Jukai Kotan."

The back of the throne extended to the tree behind it and merged together before the tree started growing to enormous proportions. The roots of the tree grew out of the ground across the Elemental Countries. Even the Shinobi before him were caught.

Dracula leaned his head against his knuckle, focusing on absorbing everyone's chakra.

Suddenly, a hand pierced his torso from behind. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a pitch-black face with glowing yellow eyes.

"You..." Dracula said.

"**This is perfect!"** Zetsu said. **"You are an even better vessel than Madara for Mother's return!"**

Zetsu's body spread across Dracula's body like goo. As this happened, Dracula's body started bloating into a big blob of flesh.

* * *

"Sasuke?" Karin called out after Sasuke activated his Susano'o, which was fully humanoid, to cover the full team Taka.

Sasuke turned to the team. They were shocked to see the Rinnegan with six tomoe on his left eye.

"Dude, what the hell!?" Suigetsu demanded. "First, you space out outta nowhere, now this!?"

"It's a long story." Sasuke said before he recounted the tale.

**Flashback**

Sasuke looked around. He was in a complete void.

"Where is this?" He wondered aloud.

"This is thine inner mind." A voice behind him said, making him turn around.

It was an old man, with deep wrinkles that showed his elderly age. He had spiky, shoulder-length pale-red hair, with a chin-length braid in front of his left ear. He also had a goatee that went down to his waist. On either side of his forehead were short horns, a red Rinnegan marking in the middle of his forehead, Rinnegan eyes and no eyebrows. He wore a full-length kimono with a pattern of six black magatama around a high collar, beneath which he wore a necklace of six black magatama. He floating in mid-air, in a seating position with a Shakujo floating around him. The eyes alone were enough guess who it was.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Rikudo Sennin..."

The sage nodded. "That was the title given to me. I am Hagoromo."

Hagoromo grabbed his Shakujo and tapped the ground with it, making the once-transparent water ripple.

Sasuke looked down at his feet. First, his reflection appeared, but was soon replaced by the appearance of another man.

Said man had long brown hair, with two locks wrapped in bandages framing either side of his face. His eyebrows were cut short and he had blue markings around his eyes. He wore a high-collared, light-colored kimono held close by a dark sash. The collar was adonred with magatama. He also wore a black full-bodied suit underneath the kimono.

"You are my son Indra's... So be it, there are things I must entrust you with."

Sasuke looked back up to Hagoromo.

Hagoromo waved his Shakujo over the water. "First, I must tell you about my mother and sons."

The water rippled and showed a white-haired woman with rabbit ear-like horns on her head. She had Hyuuga-like eyes and her eyebrows were cut short. She wore a high-collared hime-kimono adorned with intricate gold and purple lines.

"My mother, Kaguya Ootsutsuki, came to this land of yours from a faraway place. She came in search of the fruit of the Shinju."

"Shinju?" Sasuke asked.

"It was also known as the Juubi." Hagoromo said, making Sasuke's eyes widen. "Kaguya consumed the fruit, attained power, and subdued this land. Mother was powerful, more than any other. Some called my mother the Rabbit Goddess and others considered her a demon... They both worshipped her and feared her. Later, she would birth two sons: myself and my brother, Hamura. We brothers, to atone for the crimes Mother left behind, battled Juubi and sealed it inside me. The Shinju, robbed of its chakra fruit, went on a rampage in order to recover it. Many years later, I myself had two sons. I named the elder son, Indra, and the younger son, Asura, and taught them the Ninshu. But the two of them were very different. The elder son was born with my chakra, whereas the younger son did not. You are very similar to Indra."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Indra and Asura walked different paths in life. Indra possessed powerful Dojutsu and senses from birth, making people call him a genius. He always did everything alone, leaning only on his own strength and came to understand that his power was different and special. He perceived that power could achieve anything. Asura, however, was untalented and couldn't do anything by himself. In order to compare to his brother, he needed the cooperation of others in addition of his own effort. While struggling through training, the power of bodily chakra awakened within Asura and he attained power rivalling his brother's. He came to understand that he became strong, thanks to the cooperation and help of those around him. He learned of the love that arises from thinking about others... And perceived that it was love that can achieve everything. I saw new possibilities in the way Asura chose to live his life. I partitioned the power of the Juubi inside of me and named each of the pieces and believed that the bond known as 'Cooperation' was true power. Then, I named Asura the leader and guardian of Ninshu, believing Indra would cooperate with him."

"But that's not what happened." Sasuke said. "After all, the Uchiha and the Senju have been at war ever since."

Hagoromo nodded. "Indra did not accept my decision. He and Asura fought countless times. Even after their deaths, they reincarnate across time and continue fighting." Hagoromo turned to Sasuke. "In this day and age, you are Indra's reincarnation. My eyes can clearly see Indra's chakra clinging about."

It was true. Indra's chakra was standing behind Sasuke, taking the form of the elder son. Sasuke's eyes glanced over his shoulder, but there was nothing there. Nothing he could see, anyway.

"You don't seem surprised." Hagoromo noted. "Perhaps you have sensed Indra's presence within you already?"

Sasuke remained silent, but that was enough.

"I thought as much." Hagoromo said. "That means you know who Asura's reincarnation is."

He knew... He felt it back during the Kage Summit...

"Naruto..." Sasuke said.

"Yes. You sensed it, after all."

"Who else has been within this cycle?" Sasuke asked.

"Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha." Hagoromo answered. "Hashirama was Asura. Madara was Indra. You know how they ended up."

"_Of course."_ Sasuke thought.

"However, before Madara could end his life as a reincarnate, he created a certain problem. Madara was so obsessed with power that he stole some of Hashirama's. Which, in short caused the merging of a portion of Asura and Indra's chakra, resulting in my own chakra. Madara had awakened the Rinnegan. I always thought someone like this would appear one day, among Indra or any of his reincarnates. Hence, I left behind the stone tablet that contained the writings on how to deal with this. Although, it seems no one else could understand its meaning. And now, we face dire circumstances because of it."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Even after my mother, Kaguya, put an end to the chaotic times, she ruled with her power alone. However, my mother's power bred arrogance within her. And mankind began to dread the existence of that power. That is why the Rabbit Goddess became feared as a demon. When power is concentrated in one person, that power runs rampant and in time, it possesses the person. The current Asura reincarnation is a prime example of that."

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked.

Hagoromo nodded. "He travelled the land as Souma Kurusu."

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"You understand now. He has the power to absorb all life and chakra. He gathered the nine pieces of the Juubi and recreated it before becoming it's vessel. Now, the entirety of its powers is his. He's become just like my mother, Kaguya. The Mugen Tsukuyomi doesn't just cast a genjutsu over you. It keeps you trapped within genjutsu dreams, so that the caster can use your individual power while keeping you alive."

"But Naruto doesn't need them alive." Sasuke said. "He could kill them all and still use their powers."

Hagoromo nodded. "However, he will still use the Shinju's roots to catch everyone and take their chakra. I would like you to stop Naruto."

"Even after death, you care about this world. Are you looking for gratitude?"

"No. If the world desires Indra's way, Mother's way, and that's the natural flow, then I'm the one who is selfish. Even now, the prophecy has been fulfilled."

"Prophecy?"

Hagoromo nodded. "A blue-eyed youth who can unite all nine Bijuu will change the world."

Sasuke scowled. That seemed to fit Naruto.

"Sasuke, what do you want to do?" Hagoromo asked. "What do you see in the aftermath of this world?"

"...I see change. I will change the world. But first, I will prevent the world's destruction." Sasuke claimed.

"Is that your answer?"

"Yeah..."

"Long ago, I entrusted everything to Asura and cast my attention away from Indra. This time, I must do the exact opposite to balance the scales. Put out your arms. From now on, everything is up to you."

"Very well." Sasuke said as he walked closer to Hagoromo.

Both of them aligned their hands with each others'.

**Flashback end**

"...And then I saw the moon and covered you guys from the Mugen Tsukuyomi."

The shocked looks on their faces said it all.

The Perfect Susano'o disappeared. The sky was still bright, but no longer entrapped anyone.

"What do we do now?" Jugo asked.

Sasuke turned to the giant tree that was so far away. "_I_ will finish this. Come along if you want, but you'd just get in the way." He then left.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Karin called out before she and Jugo ran after him. Suigetsu reluctantly followed.

* * *

Kaguya Otsutsuki opened her eyes, only to see total darkness.

Her eyes narrowed before she activated her Byakugan. Her eyes widened as her Byakugan vision was all static.

"Welcome." She quickly turned around upon hearing a voice and saw Dracula.

"Who are you?" Kaguya asked.

Dracula smirked. "Name's Dracula. Zetsu's trying to use _my_ body to bring you back. I'm not letting this happen, of course."

"You have no say in the matter." Kaguya said.

Dracula chuckled. "That's where you're wrong." He brought a hand up.

Kaguya's eyes widened as the surroundings changed with the snap of a finger. They were in a courtyard with a great castle nearby.

"We are within _my_ mind." Dracula smirked. "How long will you last before I completely dominate your soul?"

Kaguya's eyes widened before she flew up just as hands sprouted from the ground and tried to grab her ankles. She looked down and saw a corpse rising from the ground.

She turned around upon hearing a battlecry and saw a winged woman wearing red armor swinging a sword straight at her. Bones stuck out out of Kaguya's back before a bone needle stuck out from each of her palms and she blocked the swords using said needles. The impact made her crash on the ground.

"_What's wrong with me...?"_ Kaguya wondered as she groggily got up. She normally would have taken a hit like this without any problem.

Her eyes widened again when giant hands grabbed her and lifted her in the air. Her shock increased even further when she saw that the being that grabbed her was the Juubi itself.

"Impossible..." She muttered. "You are my chakra. You cannot betray me!"

"Now, now, no need to get so upset." Dracula said as he landed on the hands gripping Kaguya. "The moment I became its vessel, I completely dominated its chakra. You should know the feeling, after all. Aren't you feeling your strength leaving you with every passing second?"

Kaguya started struggling as she tried to deny his words. How could she, the mother of all chakra, lose to an offspring that shouldn't compare to her?

Her eyes then started drooping.

"What's happening to me, my lord?" She asked tiredly, not noticing how she called Dracula.

"You're simply tired." Dracula said. "Rest up, Kaguya. You'll see the inside of my castle once you wake up."

Kaguya nodded and closed her eyes. Her lord was the greatest and most powerful of all. Her life was dedicated to him.

Dracula smirked before he closed his eyes and felt the chakra flowing through him.

* * *

Team Taka rushed toward the giant tree. From the distance, they could see a mass of flesh at the base of the tree.

"Sasuke..." Karin called out. "Every chakra I can feel, except ours, is flowing into that flesh."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Was this mass of flesh supposed to be Naruto?

His eyes then widened. "Everyone, stop!"

The entire team stopped. An instant later, dozens of sickles embedded themselves into the ground before them.

A ghostly figure floated down to their level. It was Shiki Fuin Shinigami.

Suigetsu's eyes widened in horror before he pulled out the scroll he and Jugo found in one of Orochimaru's bases. He opened the scroll and showed it to Sasuke. "Hey Sasuke..."

Sasuke looked at the scroll. It was a plan of Orochimaru to unseal the four Hokage's souls from the Shinigami, with a mask being needed. A mask that look exactly like the ghost's face.

Sasuke's eyes turned to the ghost and narrowed. "Shinigami..."

The Shinigami chuckled before he turned into his true form. **"Sasuke Uchiha... I can't say I did not expect this outcome."**

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked, scaring Suigetsu with the fact that he was demanding answers from _Death itself_!

"**I am simply waiting for my master's rise."**

"Master!?" Karin asked in shock. "Who the hell controls the _Shinigami_ of all beings!?"

"**Why, Lord Dracula, of course."** Shinigami chuckled. **"All of you should know him as Naruto Uzumaki."**

Jugo's fist tightened. When he met Sasuke, the Uchiha mentioned Kimimaro's death at the hands of someone named Naruto.

"How is Naruto your master?" Sasuke asked.

"**This is simple. My lord was without a vessel for several thousand years. When the Yondaime summoned me to seal the Kyuubi, I planted my Lord's soul into the body of Naruto Uzumaki. Now, he is more powerful than he has ever been!"**

Sasuke gritted his teeth. "That means he's been this 'Dracula' almost since birth..."

"**Shortly after his birth."** Shinigami confirmed. **"And look at the world now... His dominance has caused this chaos!"**

"I'm putting an end to both him and this chaos." Sasuke claimed, gripping his Kusanagi blade.

"**I will allow no such thing."** A double bladed scythe appeared in Shinigami's hands.

Before they could fight, however, they all felt a sudden pulse of chakra. The mass of flesh started shrinking.

Karin started shivering at the feeling of the chakra, Suigetsu took a few steps back and Jugo braced himself, his arms turning green with his Senjutsu powers.

The mass of flesh took a human shape. After the shape, the appearance was made. The whiskered face made the identity obvious, but there were differences. Instead of its usual spike-like style, his hair was closer to Soma's after Graham's defeat. There was a vertical slit on his forehead, showing he still had the Rinne Sharingan. His eyes had returned to its cerulean color, as if he had never transplanted Madara's eyes in the first place. His Juubi Jinchuuriki outfit looked more like actual clothes than chakra shrouds.

Dracula looked at himself for a moment before he lowered his head and started chuckling. He placed a hand on his face and his chuckles became small laughter. He then threw his head and started a full-blown laughter.

"...Did he lose his marbles?" Suigetsu wondered.

Dracula stopped himself upon hearing Suigetsu's voice. Turning his head, he saw Team Taka. He raised an eyebrow before he felt something within Sasuke, which he recognized through Kaguya.

Hagoromo's chakra.

Dracula chuckled. "We really _were_ destined to have a final battle, Sasuke."

"Naruto..." Sasuke said.

Dracula held both arms out to the sides and gestured to the surroundings. "You like what I've done with the place? Odds are it would have ended up the same way if things went your way."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

Dracula chuckled. "You wouldn't have stopped with the Elders and Konoha. You simply would have looked for another target. Such is the Uchiha's Curse of Hatred."

"That's going to change." Sasuke claimed. "I don't know if a village is worth sacrificing family, but I'll create one that won't demand such sacrifices. Before that, I'll need to kill the Five Kage."

Taka was shocked by Sasuke's claim.

Dracula whistled. "That's quite the goal you have there."

"What about you?" Sasuke asked. "What's the point of you doing this?"

"Most humans, thousands of years ago, were pathetic. In this day and age, the shinobi of the world had me interested."

"And then what? There's nothing else for you now."

"On this dimension, anyway. But I will travel to other dimensions, thanks to Kaguya."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "What does Kaguya have to do with this?"

Dracula chuckled. "Ah, that's right... Hagoromo didn't know that Kaguya and the Juubi were a single being."

Team Taka's eyes widened.

"Knowing this, Sasuke, you must know how unbalanced this match is."

As if to prove his point, ghostly figures appeared behind the two of them. Behind Sasuke were Hagoromo and Indra. Behind Dracula were Kaguya, Indra and Asura, a brown-haired man that, much like Indra, had two locks wrapped in bandages to frame his face. He was wearing a light-colored kimono with a black full body suit underneath. While Indra's stern face said that he would take down all who oppose him, Asura's stern face said that he would not let you get away with whatever you had done.

"I don't have to defeat you." Sasuke said before he flared some chakra. "I have another way to win."

Suddenly, he gained a chakra shroud. His body was glowing with chakra and he had an haori with the Rinnegan mark on the back along with the Magatama.

"Rikudo Senjutsu and a Rinnegan." Dracula said. "The benefits of Hagoromo's chakra, I'm sure."

Suddenly, Zetsu spores started growing from Sasuke's body.

"Oh yeah, Tobi had them keep an eye on you." Dracula said in realization.

The Zetsus grew out of Sasuke's body and disappeared into ground.

"Come on, then." Dracula said, a Gudodama stick in his left hand and Muramasa in his right hand. "We shouldn't get any more interruptions."

Sasuke braced himself with a Gudodama stick and his Kusanagi blade.

Both of them charged forward, their respective weapons clashing with their counterparts. For a small while, they merely deflected each other's weapons before Dracula managed to get Kusanagi out of Sasuke's grip and into the air. Keeping Sasuke's Gudodama away with his own Gudodama, he went for a stab with Muramasa.

"Sasuke!" Karin called out in fear.

Sasuke widened his left eye. Suddenly, he disappeared and Dracula was stabbed by Kusanagi.

"What?" Dracula said in shock before he looked up.

Sasuke was in the air.

"_Kawarimi? No... that was more like Amenominaka..."_ Dracula thought before he said. "I see. Your Rinnegan has a Jutsu able to instantly transport yourself and other objects."

Sasuke landed away from Dracula, who pulled out Kusanagi from his body and threw it away. Already, his wound steamed and healed.

Dracula smirked as four shadow figures of himself, created from Madara's Limbo Jutsu, appeared from his body and charged toward Sasuke.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he made himself a second Gudodama stick. He blocked two shadows' attacks with the sticks.

Team Taka was confused. To them, Sasuke was striking air.

"The hell is he doing?" Suigetsu asked.

"Is he trapped in a genjutsu." Jugo wondered.

Karin pushed her glasses to the bridge of her nose and activated her mind's eye. "...No. His chakra is undisturbed."

"Then it must be something he can see with his Rinnegan." Jugo concluded.

As Sasuke kept blocking the shadows, Dracula joined in.

Sasuke summoned a Susano'o arm, with an Enton orb in hand, and spread black flames in front of him. Only Dracula dodged while the shadows were unaffected.

"_I see... So only the Gudodama can hit them."_ Sasuke thought.

Suddenly, the shadows returned to Dracula's body.

"There's a time limit on these things." Sasuke realized. "I will take advantage of that."

Dark purple chakra pooled out of Sasuke and his Susano'o appeared. It was a full body winged Tengu samurai with a katana in its left hand.

Dracula smirked. "So be it!"

Blue chakra exploded out of Dracula's body. From that chakra emerged a humanoid monster. It was brown, muscular and unbelievably tall. It had multiple horns on its head and a single eye, the Rinne Sharingan. Another striking feature was its ten tails, with each tip having a humanoid hand. Its entire body was covered in a blue Susano'o, also shaped like a winged Tengu samurai. In its right hand was a claymore.

Karin's eyes widened in shock. She couldn't sense it's chakra!

"Oi, Jugo! You all right!?" Karin turned her head upon hearing Suigetsu's voice. Jugo was on his knees, struggling with himself.

"This monster..." Jugo grunted in pain. "...is Nature itself."

"What are you talking about!?" Suigetsu asked.

"The energy of Nature flowing through it... It's as if we're sensing the entire world."

"**What do you think of this, Uchiha?"** The monster spoke, its voice being a distorted version of Dracula's.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"**This is the Juubi, clad in Madara's own Perfect Susano'o!"**

Sasuke cursed as his Susano'o took to the air. The size difference between their Susano'os was immense, but this could be to his advanta-

Dracula crouched before taking flight as well. Sasuke's eyes widened as Dracula was above him in no time.

Dracula brought his claymore up before swinging down on Sasuke, who barely had enough time to block with his much smaller sword. Sasuke was sent crashing to the ground.

"Sasuke!" Karin cried out in horror.

Dracula opened his mouth and created a Bijuudama, which was still round like a sphere with the exception of the pointed tip. He shot the Bijuudama at the crater Sasuke made. The explosion reached high into the sky.

But Sasuke had already escaped before the Bijuudama hit the ground. Getting back to Dracula's level of height, Sasuke's katana turned into a bow. He readied an arrow burning with black flames.

Dracula raised his free hand and a Bijuudama appeared, floating over his hand and surrounded by chakra magatama.

"Enton: Susano'o Kagutsuchi!/**Magatama Bijuudama!"** Both of them shot their projectiles. They met midway and created a massive explosion.

Sasuke charged forth, which Dracula responded with a horizontal slash. Sasuke used his Jutsu to dodge the slash and appear before the Dracula's eye. Sasuke then stabbed his sword toward the eye, but Dracula bent backward to dodge before striking Sasuke with one of his tails, making him crash to the ground. The tail strike damaged the Susano'o armor, making it crumble to pieces upon crashing.

Dracula's Susano'o disappeared before he shrunk in size. Upon becoming human-sized, Dracula was in his normal form again.

Dracula walked toward the downed Sasuke before he felt a presence charging toward him. Looking to the side, he saw Jugo with a bulged fist. The moment Jugo went for a punch, a Gudodama barrier appeared between the two. Dracula raised an eyebrow when he heard an actual impact against the barrier. Jugo's arm grew a piston at the elbow and pushed on. Dracula's eyes widened when the Gudodama broke to pieces. Jugo's other arm turned into an axe and swiped at Dracula, who ducked the attack and kicked Jugo away.

"I see, so not only are Rikudo users immune to the Gudodama's negation, but so is Senjutsu chakra." Dracula said. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for that, Jugo."

Karin and Suigetsu joined Sasuke, with the former offering her arm to the Uchiha. Sasuke bit the arm, causing Karin to cry out in pleasure. Sasuke then started glowing with healing chakra.

Sasuke got up and stood by Jugo. "We're ending this, Naruto."

Dracula smirked. "If you insist...then I'll show you the best part."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow before Dracula flew back and landed on the tree trunk. He pressed both of his hands on it.

"Soul Steal!" Dracula called out before he absorbed the souls of all those trapped within Mugen Tsukuyomi.

Karin's eyes widened in horror. She was feeling what was happening with her mind's eye.

"What's your problem?" Suigetsu asked her.

"We're all that's left..." She muttered as she fell to her knees.

"Soul Steal." Dracula repeated as he landed on the ground and walked toward Team Taka. "The offensive usage of the Power of Dominance. With it, I took the souls of all those who were connected to the tree, meaning everyone except you all."

"Wait, what!?" Suigetsu exclaimed. "Is he saying what I think he is!?"

"We're all alone..." Karin muttered. "There's nobody left..."

Dracula chuckled. "And now..." He braced himself. "Headhunter!" His body muscled up before returning to its original build.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow before a fist landed right in his gut. Before the impact could send him flying, Dracula grabbed his ankle and swung him at Jugo, sending them rolling on the ground.

"What the hell!?" Suigetsu exclaimed as Karin watched in silent shock.

Dracula appeared over Sasuke and Jugo and stomped on them, making a large crater. Both of them coughed blood before Dracula kicked them away.

"Now, here's the best part." Dracula chuckled. "The Headhunter was a princess that cut off heads and collected them to replace her own whenever she wanted, she preferred changing heads over changing clothes. She could also use her victims' abilities later on. By having her soul, my overall capabilities increase depending on the number of souls I possess." He smirked. "And I currently have an entire planet's worth of souls and more."

"Is this bastard serious?" Suigetsu muttered as he took a few steps back.

Sasuke and Jugo got up, with the latter turning into his full transformation.

Suddenly, Dracula appeared before Sasuke and kicked his legs off the ground before kicking him into the air. He then turned toward Jugo, who had sprouted cannons from his back.

"Die!" Jugo cried out excitedly. A dozen blasts shot forth from his cannons.

However, Dracula avoided the blasts and chopped Jugo's neck and grabbed his collar just as he went limp. Dracula then trapped Jugo in a Water Prison before electrocuting him with Raikiri. A bone bullet was then prepared in Dracula's index finger and was shot at Jugo.

Jugo fell to his knees when the Water Prison disappeared.

"That attack..." Jugo growled as he turned to Dracula. "That was Kimimaro's attack."

"Almost." Dracula said. "Like many clans, the Kaguya Clan are descendants of Kaguya herself. She had another version of the Shikotsumyaku. It was more powerful, yet not as versatile. She couldn't use it like Kimimaro used his bones, but they reduced her enemies to ashes. And I have both her power and his versatility."

Jugo's skin started cracking.

"Look on the bright side. You'll be joining Kimimaro soon enough." Dracula smirked.

Jugo weakly got up and walked up to Dracula, a piston fist as his right arm. He swung his fist at him, but it crumble to ashes before it could reach his face. His momentum and weak body made him fall to the ground.

"You...bastard..." Jugo muttered before his whole body turned to ashes. All that was left was the soul.

"One down." Dracula said as he got the soul.

With a Raikiri in his right hand, Dracula raised his hand and caught Sasuke's Chidori-clad hand coming from above. Sasuke then used his Jutsu to appear behind Dracula and tried to stab him with the Chidori, but fazed through him because of Kamui. Dracula then used Ranton: Reiza Sakasu point blank on Sasuke's back.

Dracula planted his foot on Sasuke's head before using Catoblepas to petrify him with a petrifying breath from his toes to his head, stepping back just before reaching the head.

"Sasuke!" Karin cried out in horror.

"Hold on, what!?" Suigetsu exclaimed. There's a Jutsu that can do that!?

Dracula punched the Sasuke statue, smashing it to pieces and gaining Sasuke's soul.

Dracula rolled his shoulders before turning to Suigetsu and Karin. The former was stepping back.

Dracula appeared behind Suigetsu with Sasuke's Amenotejikara. "What's wrong?"

Before Suigetsu could jump away from Dracula, he was bisected by a Gudodama Shakujo.

"That's not gonna do much." Suigetsu taunted before he saw his lower body turn into a puddle. "Wait, what!?"

"Gudodama negates chakra." Dracula said. "Injuring _you_ with a Gudodama is like injuring any normal human being with a blade."

"You gotta be kidding me..." Suigetsu muttered as he started crawling away. However, he was pinned to the ground by the Shakujo. Dracula then used Ningendou to take Suigetsu's soul.

Dracula walked up to Karin, who hadn't moved from her spot. The girl looked up to him.

"This will be over quick." Dracula said as he placed his hand on her head. Like with Suigetsu, he used Ningendou to take her soul.

Shinigami floated down to Dracula. **"This is the end."**

"Not yet." Dracula said, looking up at the moon. "There's one more branch of Kaguya's descendants."

Dracula used Yomotsu Hirasaka, a black rift, to transport himself to the Moon's surface. He punched the ground, making a hole to the inside of the moon.

Inside the moon was an entire world. However, it was lifeless. Dracula floated in the Inner Moon's sky. Thanks to the Mind Eye of Kagura, one of Karin's abilities, he felt that the Inner Moon's sun was actually a barrier.

Speaking of which, a hole appeared in the barrier. Mounted birds flew out of the hole. The riders had chakra, but had no life to them. Automatons, perhaps?

No matter. With Yomotsu Hirasaka, Dracula transported himself inside the barrier. The moment he was inside, many cannons fired upon him, but it was nothing he couldn't avoid with Kamui.

He flew toward the one lifesign in the moon, which was inside the castle. Breaking through the castle, he found a young man with shaggy white hair wearing traditional Otsutsuki robes. His eyes remained closed, even when his attention was obviously on Dracula. That's when he realized that no chakra was flowing through his eye sockets. His eyes were removed?

"Who are you?" The young man asked.

"Just someone here for your chakra." Dracula said.

The young man tensed as the many automatons in the room prepared for battle.

"How many people have you taken chakra from?" He asked.

Dracula shrugged. "Oh, about everyone on the planet."

The Otsutsuki's eyebrows raised in shock.

"I'm disappointed that there's only one descendant of Hamura left." Dracula admitted. "After getting Kaguya and Hagoromo's chakra, I had hoped to get somewhat of an equivalent amount from Hamura's side. Oh well, I'll take what's there."

"What kind of monster are you?" He muttered.

"A lord kind." Dracula answered as he walked forth.

The automatons charged toward him with laser swords. Dracula caught one of them before throwing it at another. He kept this going as he walked toward the young man.

The Otsutsuki tried running away, but he was caught by the neck. A bone needle from the palm stabbed his neck before Dracula threw him at the automatons.

The young man groggily got up. He went to grab the needle in his neck, but it crumble to ashes. His skin started to crack.

"What is this?" He muttered.

"You are crumbling to ashes. Now, your soul and chakra is mine."

The young man looked at Dracula and opened his eyes, revealing the void in his sockets before his body completely crumbled. His soul entered Dracula's body.

He browsed through Toneri's memories as he kept dodging the puppets.

"_The Tenseigan, huh..."_ He thought before he activated Hinata's Byakugan, his most powerful Byakugan after Kaguya's. He then focused Toneri's chakra through the Doujutsu. His eyes started pulsating. After a moment, he opened his eyes, revealing sky blue pupils with white flower-like irises.

The puppets stopped. There was a conflict in their programmed behavior. He was an invader, but he had the Tenseigan, which basically controlled everything in the moon.

Dracula smirked as he left for the Tenseigan vessel. It was in a meteriote in the very middle of the 'sun'. Walking through a set of caves, he eventually reached the vessel.

It was glowing brightly with the chakra of generations of Otsutsuki clan members. Many eyes were sealed in it. By destroying it, he could absorb the chakra in those eyes.

He created a Gudodama, grasped it and focused Tenseigan chakra through it. A silvery hurricane swirled around his hand.

"Silver Wheel Rebirth Explosion!" He called out as he unleashed the hurricane at the vessel. The vessel crackled with lightning before exploding into an enormous amount of eyes.

"Hmph." He smirked. "Soul steal!"

Chakra flowed out of the eyes and into his body. If what he was feeling was right, then there had also been a single Tenseigan eye in the vessel.

Dracula walked away. He was finally done with this world. But there was one last personal business to attend to.

* * *

Dracula walked into the grey void. It appeared before him, in the same first form Soma had battled.

"It's over." Dracula said. "I'm getting rid of you."

Chaos let out a low, angry growl as one of the statues reached out to him. Dracula slapped the hand away, making the hand go limp from the force behind the slap.

"Don't bother." Dracula warned. "Without the Crimson Stone, your edge on me is severed." He opened his Rinne Sharingan.

Through Amenominaka, they were transported in Kaguya's ice dimension. Chaos started shifting forms before Dracula aimed at Chaos with his Rinne Sharingan.

"Chibaku Tensei!"

Chaos became a center of gravity, which attracted rocks from the mountains and became a giant boulder. Dracula pushed it on the ground, enclosed it in ice and buried it in snow.

Dracula smiled. That...was a _major_ weight off his shoulders.

* * *

He appeared in his throne room and sat on his throne.

"**Is it done?"** Shinigami asked.

"Yes..." Dracula rested his head on his knuckle. "Chaos has been sealed."

"It certainly was a surprise to me." Kabuto pushed his glasses to the bridge of his nose. "When I heard that this castle was a creature of chaos, I didn't think there was a literal sense in the meaning."

"The castle may be connected to Chaos, but it ultimately responds to the Lord of the Castle." Dracula explained. "How else do you think I gave you that lab so quickly?"

"The castle itself changes to the Count's will." Carmilla supplied.

"I see..." Kabuto said. "By the way, what is the next plan of action?"

"Something I have been curious about for centuries." Dracula answered.

His words got Shinigami's attention. **"You intend to ****investigate**** one of **_**those**_** dimensions? Are **_**his**_** words trustworthy?"**

"Knowing him, it could have been a giant joke." Dracula admitted. "But I believe the pros far outweighs the cons."

"A battle royale of Heroic Spirits..." Carmilla muttered. "Could that dimension also have an alternate version of the Count, I wonder."

"Heroic Spirits?" Kabuto asked.

"Heroes of time long past summoned like the Edo Tensei. Monster hunters, Dragon slayers, kings and knights, and even samurai. The Old World is ripe with legends and stories!" Dracula smirked. "And in _those_ dimensions, most of them are legitimate!"

"The library has many of those stories." Carmilla said. "Do have a read. You will anticipate this as much as we do after a few books."

"Don't mind if I do." Kabuto smirked.

Dracula sat back on his throne.

He fully intended to have a look at one of those Holy Grail Wars.

**And that, as they say, is that. As it is written, Dracula will be going through Fate/Zero _and _Fate/Stay Night's Holy Grail Wars in the sequel. Why? Because I wanna see how much further I can take this. But that's for another time. Up next is the 'Tsukune with Emerl's abilities' Rosario fanfic. If I put flashbacks of moments from Sonic Battle, would it count as a Crossover or would it remain just Rosario Vampire?**

**Anyway, after _that_, I'm working on White Maelstrom's sequel, 'cause that's been a long time coming. _Then_ it will be Shinobi's Lament's sequel.**


End file.
